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| This picture (taken during a cloudy Winter day) shows part of Fort Mason in the foreground. To the right is the Western side of Alcatraz Island. The background is a portion of the Marin Headlands.
All three areas mentioned above had artillery positions designed to work in concert in order to repel an invading fleet which might be successful in penetrating the outer defenses located in the area of the Golden Gate. Initially, it was the Spanish who placed guns at Fort Mason during 1797 to protect their global interests. When Mexico attained independence from Spain in 1821, the Mexicans used the Fort for the same purpose. During the 1840s the Government of the United States began its own program of global expansion, taming the Natives, and taking California and the Southwest from Mexico. Thus, Fort Mason, Alcatraz Island and other points were fortified to protect the interests of the U.S.A., first from possible attack by the Confederacy during the Civil War in the 1860s as well as subsequent wars. During many wars Fort Mason served as an embarkation and debarkation point, transferring troops and materiel in staggeringly high numbers. A City Birds digital photo. |
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