Planning Golden Gate Park - San Francisco, California - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Text from the sign:

In the 1860s, San Francisco was a
booming city fueled by the Gold Rush
and the first transcontinental railroad.
Civic leaders envisioned a large park and
arboretum similar to those in European
cities and the eastern United States.
Skeptics argued that the proposed location
in the western part of the city consisted
mostly of windswept, shifting sand dunes
and was therefore an unwise choice."

"1870 to 1876
William Hammond Hall made a
strong beginning. The job of
making a detailed sit survey went
to Hall, a twenty-four-year-old
Army-trained engineer. He
completed the survey and a
preliminary design for the Park
in only six months."

"Leveling the Dunes
Hall was promptly appointed Engineer of the
Park. Over the next five years, he leveled and
stabilized the sand dunes and established a
nursery to supply the first 60,000 trees.
Curved roads and tree plantings were
designed to temper the ocean winds and
provide a natural, rustic, and informal
appearance. Golden Gate Park rapidly
became a great success with the public."

"1887 to 1943
John McLaren was superintendent
and developed a world-class park.
John McLaren was trained as a
landscape gardener in Scotland.
Early in his 56-year career in the
Park, he built up a worldwide
network for acquiring promising
plants for trial. An increasingly [sic]
variety of shrubs and trees became
skillfully arranged in naturalistic
landscapes.

McLaren dedicated his life to the
Park. Above all, he was determined
to make the Park relaxing and
enjoyable for the public, and the
public showed its appreciation.
When he reached the mandatory
retirement age of 70 in 1916,
pressure from voters resulted in a
city statute giving him life-tenure.
He died on the job at the age of 96."


"PLANTING SAN FRANCISCO BOTANICAL GARDEN
1889
Anticipating an arboretum, John
McLaren, superintendent of Golden
Gate Park, selected the present
location for a future arboretum.

1926
Helene Strybing provided the
necessary funds in her bequest to the
city to establish an arboretum and
botanical garden in Golden Gate
Park. The funds gradually became
available in the 1930s.

1937-57
Eric Walther, the Garden's first director,
was appointed by McLaren and
remained in this position for 20
productive years until his retirement.
Walther experimented with a variety of
plants from many parts of the world.

1940
The Garden opened officially
as an arboretum and botanical
garden.

1954
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Society was organized as a
non-profit organization to support
the gardens. Today the Society
continues to raise funds for new
gardens, the library, and educational
programs and to help support
garden maintenance.

1959
Landscape architect Robert Tetlow
preparedd a master plan, including
features such as the great meadow, the
fountain, and the basic layout of the
present gardens. Plants were placed in
naturalistic arrangements and wer more
distinctly grouped according to the parts
of the world where they originated.

1972
The Library of Horticulture opened
and soon becomes[sic] Northern
California's largest horticultural library.
You are invited to use this excellent
facility to learn more about the history
and plants of Botanical Garden and
Golden Gate Park. "



(transcription mine, any errors mine - except where noted)

Group that erected the marker: city of San Francisco URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Strybing Arboretum, Golden Gate Park San Francisco, CA USA 94122

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