Fort Baker Through the Years

Fort Baker lies hard-by the famous Golden Gate, literally in the shadow of the famous bridge. For nearly 140 years it was a stronghold of the the U.S. Army, where glowering coastal fortifications overlooked snug Victorian military houses. Built to protect San Francisco from enemies that never came, the fort today is a part of the National Park Service and home to the world-famous Cavallo Point Lodge at the Golden Gate.

For the first time, the fort's fascinating human an historic stories are retold in the publication, Fort Baker Through The Years: The Post, The Park, The Lodge.

Written by historical architect Kristin Baron and historian John Martini, Fort Baker Through the Years provides fascinating glimpses into the fort's many stories: the Huimen people who lived along its shores for centuries, the early Spanish and Mexican settlers, fog-bound lighthouse keepers, and the soldiers who manned the fort's guns and lived in its barracks. In addition, the book contains numerous appendices on the fort's individual buildings, its armament, the military units stationed there, and the officers who commanded the post.

Kristin L. Baron of Mill Valley, CA

Kristin L. Baron, architectural historian for Cultural Resources at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, has been with the National Park Service for twenty years. Originally a member of the Presidio Planning Team, she worked extensively on planning documents, building histories and special history publications. At Golden Gate NRA, she focuses on writing historic building reports, website content and compliance documents for several park sites, among them, Fort Mason, Fort Baker, Fort Barry and Fort Cronkhite.

John A. Martini

John A. Martini is a native Californian and a life-long researcher into the history of the American West. A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Martini worked as a National Park Service Ranger for more than twenty-five years at such diverse locations as Fort Point National Historic Site, Alcatraz Island, the National Maritime Museum, the U.S.S. Arizona National Memorial, the Presidio of San Francisco, and Sagamore Hill National Historic Site. He retired from the National Park Service in 1999 and now serves as a professional researcher and historical consultant. Martini's specialty is historic preservation and interpretation. He is an acknowledged expert on America's coastal defenses and consults with numerous state and federal agencies on the restoration of seacoast fortifications and artillery pieces.