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Golden Gate Park is the largest urban park in San Francisco, California, USA. At 1017 acres (4.1 kmē), it is in the shape of a long rectangle, similar in shape but 174 acres (0.7 kmē) larger than New York's Central Park. The park was planned in the 1860s and built in the 1870s on land that was thought to be uninhabitable. The park contains several San Francisco landmarks, including the de Young Museum and the Conservatory of Flowers.
In the 1860s, San Franciscans began to feel the need for a spacious public park like the one that was taking shape in New York. Though Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of Central Park, was asked to present a plan in the 1860s for Golden Gate Park, it was not implemented. Golden Gate Park was carved out of unpromising sand and shore dunes that were known as the "outside lands." The tireless field engineer William Hammond Hall ( 1846 - 1934) prepared a survey and topographic map of the park site in 1870 and became commissioner in 1871. He was later named California's first State Engineer and developed an integrated flood control system for the Sacramento Valley when he was not working on Golden Gate Park.
The actual plan and planting were developed by Hall and his assistant, John McLaren , who had apprenticed in Scotland, the source of many of the 19th century's best professional gardeners. The initial plan called for grade separations of transverse roadways through the park, as Olmsted had provided for Central Park, but budget constraints and the positioning of the Arboretum and the Concourse aborted the plan. In 1876Events January events January 31 The United States orders all Native Americans to move into reservations. February events February 2 The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs of Major League Baseball is formed. February 14 Alexander Graham Bell a, the plan was almost exchanged for a racetrack favored by " the Big FourAlternate meaning: The Big Four (novel The Big Four were the chief entrepreneurs in the building of the Central Pacific Railroad, the western portion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States. Mark Hopkins Collis P. Huntington Leland Sta" millionaires, Leland StanfordAmasa Leland Stanford ( March 9, 1824 June 21, 1893) was an American business tycoon, politician and founder of Stanford University. He was born in Watervliet, New York, one of eight children of Josiah and Elizabeth Phillips Stanford. Stanford's ancestors, Mark HopkinsMark Hopkins ( September 1 1813- March 29 1878) formed the Central Pacific Rail Road along with Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker and Collis Huntington in 1861. He is buried in Old Sacramento City Cemetery in Sacramento, California. Hopkins, Mark Hopkins,, Collis P. HuntingtonCollis Potter Huntington ( October 22, 1821 August 13, 1900) was one of the Big Four of western railroading (along with Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins and Charles Crocker) who built the Southern Pacific Railroad and other major interstate train lines., and Charles CrockerCharles Crocker ( September 16 1822- June 14 1888) was born in Troy, New York to a modest family. After his family moved to a farm in Iowa, Crocker soon became independent, working on several farms, a sawmill, and at an iron forge. In 1845 he founded a sm. Hall resigned and all the park commissioners followed him. Fortunately for the city, the original plan was soon back on track. By 18861886 is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) Events January 18 Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. January 29 Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile. March, streetcars delivered over 47,000 people to Golden Gate Park on one weekend afternoon; the city's population at the time was about 250,000. Hall selected McLaren as his successor in 1887.
The first stage stabilized the ocean dunes that covered three-quarters of the park area, with tree plantings. By 1875, about 60,000 trees, mostly blue gum eucalyptus , Monterey pine and Monterey cypress were planted. By 1879, that figure more than doubled to 155,000 trees over 1,000 acres (4 kmē). Later McLaren scoured the world through his correspondents for trees. Only Bolivia escaped his net. When McLaren refused to retire at age 60, as was customary, the San Francisco city government was bombarded with letters: when he reached 70 a charter amendment was passed to exempt him from forced retirement. He lived in McLaren Lodge in Golden Gate Park until he died at age 90, in 1943.
