California’s Presidio is located within Golden Gate Recreation Area at the entry to San Fransisco Bay. It has seen continuous use as a military base for 218 year by the Spanish, Mexican, and American armies.
Cast in 1679 by Cubas Me Fecit in Lima, Peru, this 8 pound cannon was given the name San Francisco and bears the coat of arms of Don Baltasar de la Cueva Henriquez y Saaverdra, 24th Viceroy of Peru. In a 1837 report, the San Francisco was located at the Castillo de San Joaquin, and guarded the entrance to the San Francisco Bay. This cannon was subsequently moved to Sonoma, at the request of the Mexican Governor of Alta California. On July 20, 1846, Capt. Montgomery, commanding the USS Portsmouth, sent a military detachment to retrieve the cannon, and return it to San Francisco. This cannon is currently located near the flag pole at the main post of the Presidio.
Text from the National Park Service
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