A few weeks ago, a group of Master Gardeners were privileged to go on a field trip to San Francisco's wonderful Golden Gate Park to see the displays at the Conservatory of Flowers, the palace-like building appearing to be constructed wholly of white glass.  The inside is full of exotic and rare plants and it is hard to decide which is more awesome--the building itself or its contents.   

Our docent was a wonderful, young girl who was very knowledgeable, energetic, and humorous. Her introduction included the history of the Conservatory as well as the whole of the  park.   Her statement that at one time the whole area of the park was simply windy sand dunes seemed incredulous to me.  Sand dunes?  Desert?  Constant wind?  How in the world did this multitude of  lush, green acreage come from such beginnings?  No time to ask my questions as the group needed to move on.

So on my own, I have begun trying to find answers to these questions. 

As it turns out, what are described as sand dunes actually were not exactly the Sahara Dessert I imagined.  It turns out, there were actually fourteen year round lakes within the boundaries of the original 3,765 acres designated for the park.  Several hundred willow trees, grasses, tules,  and wild lupine bushes grew near the lakes as well as watercresses, cattails and other minor plants. Over time, the lakes were changed to become the Chain of Lakes. Elk Glen Lake, near South Drive, is still in existence  and was one of the original bodies of water. 

Also, in an area called Strawberry Hill, were found scrub oak, California cherry, and wild strawberry plants.  Red-berried elder, native lupine, gooseberry and other plants grew throughout the area.  However, much of the land was covered with drifting sand, causing it to be uninhabitable for plant or man.  Even the horses would not venture forth, westerly, as the wind and sand coming from that direction into their eyes and noses were unbearable. 

Solving the problem of securing the sand came by accident in around 1872.  A horse pulling a wagon for an early surveying party accidentally spilled its feedbag filled with soaked barley seeds.  The surveyors diligently scooped up the spilled seeds, and put them back into the feedbag.  However, the horse refused to eat sandy seeds, so the bag was simply dumped onto the ground,  A week later William Hammond Hall, the first supervising engineer for the park, found the spot covered with fresh green sprouts of barley.   Previously, attempts had been made at sowing soaked lupine seeds, but these plants grew so slowly that the sand took over before the plant had a chance to develop.  Now a combination of soaked barley and lupine were planted, the barley lasting several months, giving the lupine time to grow tall enough to control the sand.  These plants lasted for up to two years without additional plant food, making the land capable of now accepting small trees. 

There were still areas where the sand blew freely and eventually after many exasperating problems, barriers were built and the sand was controlled.

Irrigation was originally supplied from the existing lakes. but then a well was drilled near Stanyan Street and an elevated redwood tank was constructed.   A steam pump was purchased to get the water into the tank, but the pump did not work to Mr. Hall's standards and was discontinued.  Water was then purchased from a water company, which proved to be too expensive.  As it turns out, the park is located over an immense underground water storage, and that resource has never been known to fail. 

The first gardener and forester hired by William Hammond Hall was Arthur Lowe in 1872.  He came to job with great credentials, but due to the fact that he was over 65 years of age when hired, could not endure the San Francisco climate.  He  resigned and returned to his home in San Jose after about one year's service. James Scott Henderson was employed as the head gardener in 1877, earning $5 per working day.

There is so much more to the history of the park, and it is fascinating.  Corruption, bribery, political shenanigans, vigilantes, ridicule, lies, scandal, and attempted murder combined with dreams, visions,  very hard work, dedication, deterioration, and rebirth are some of the factors in the history of this Bay Area gem--the story of Fredrick Olmsted, (the creator of New York' s Central Park) and his refusal to get involved because he said it was an impossible feat; William Hammond Hall's willingness to take it on, but with a determination that the park be free of buildings and busy streets giving the people of the City a quiet place to simply enjoy nature; the story Patrick Henry McCarthy, a young boy who liked singing as he worked building roads in the park,  later becoming a mayor of San Francisco.  There are hundreds more stories.  

Early San Franciscans called out for a park to rival that of New York's, and they, finally, in the end, did very well.     

The information in this article was primarily found in the book, The Making of Golden Gate Park (the Early Years: 1865-1906) by Raymond H. Clary published by the Don't Call It Frisco Press.