Archeological Finds at Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Black Point Battery Dig in the 1980s
Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, GOGA 16050
Artifacts are defined as: any human made or altered objects that have been lost or left behind. Archeology is the scientific practice of uncovering these artifacts and studying the people and cultures who created and abandoned them.
Archeology can be an essential resource for anyone intrigued by the mysteries and wonders of the park's past. This snapshot of a few the parks archeological discoveries offers a captivating and educational experience for history enthusiasts, scholars, and armchair archeologists alike.
Some of these items have little context because they were found outside of documented archeological sites. However, with "field finds" it is always good practice to note where an item was found in a landscape as further research and the possible discovery of more artifacts in that location could determine if it is a larger archeological site. We can sometimes date the specific object but that only gives us a general time frame as to when it may have ended up where it was found.
Who brought it, and why, may never be answered, but these objects may inform theories, which when evaluated with other resources like photos and personal accounts, can add to the bigger picture of park history and the cultural story. This exhibit is designed to show different material and object types that have been found on park lands as well as what we have learned from it so far. There is almost always more to discover.
There is a history of evaluating properties that are 50 years or older dating as far back as the Historic Sites Act of 1935 which served as a guideline for the National Park Service and its publicly owned sites. This continued with the National Historic Preservation Act which applies to archeological properties that are 50 years old or older.
Federal laws protect archeological resources on NPS and other federal lands. These laws may include civil and criminal penalties for disturbing, looting, or vandalizing archeological sites. For violating the Archeological Resources Protection Act, U.S. courts can penalize looters with fines, years in prison or place them on probation. Removing artifacts is theft of the nation’s archeological heritage, which belongs to us all, please respect these artifacts, leave them in place, and contact us.
Projectile Points
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program
Prehistoric Evidence
Projectile points have been found throughout Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) from Land's End to Muir Woods. A projectile point is an object that was hafted to a shaft that was capable of being thrown. One that is shot with a bow would be called an arrowhead, while one thrown with an atlatl would be called a dart point.
The shape and style of the point can infer its use, while the type of stone used can inform trade routes and other information about the people who utilized these objects.
Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly. It has been used by people around the world throughout history as a highly valued economic resource due to its ability to sustain a cutting edge. Obsidian points can be many times sharper than modern high-quality steel surgical scalpels. Each obsidian source has a unique chemical composition that can be determined with X-ray fluorescence. An individual artifact is scanned by a spectrometer and matched to a specific obsidian origin based on the signature of the stone. California has over 100 different obsidian source locations throughout the state.The two sites closest to GGNRA lands are Napa Glass Mountain and Mt. Konocti in Lake County. The five black projectile points pictured are obsidian from these two areas. The other brown and tan points have not had intense reaserch conducted but appear to be made from the same stone types associated with the locations where the objects were found.
What types of trade occurred on these lands? Might these points have served for hunting or defense purposes?
Golden State Dairy and United Milk Co, Bossy Brand, Milk Bottle
Golden Gate NRA, Park Archives, GOGA 8518/ GOGA-1954
Dairy History
The growth of California has the dairy industry to thank, in part. Some GGNRA park lands are no different as they contained quite a few dairies and ranches to support the rising population.
The one quart bottle on the right was found at Sutro Heights in 1981 during construction work. The front label reads "United Milk Company/ Bossy Brand/ San Francisco." There is a circular valve mark on the bottom that indicates the press and blow method of bottle making which dates this bottle's creation between 1910 and 1940, until manufacturing methods changed.
Inconclusive details about this bottle come from the scant research available, a 1909 advertisement in the SF Call mentioned that United Milk also distributed for "Ideal Farms," and a 1935 article from "La Opinion," a Spanish newspaper in Los Angeles, detailed riots involving employees of United Milk Co. in Chicago, Illinois. Records from the parks's archeology lab suggest that United Milk Co. transitioned to "Bordens" in 1937. This information, however, only leads to more questions.
What was United Milk and how does it relate to Bossy Brand? Could it be the "Bossy Brand" was the San Francisco Bay are version of "Ideal Farms"?
In 1992, another milk bottle was uncovered by a NPS maintenance worker at Fort Barry in the Marin Headlands, this one had markings from Golden State Dairy. The Golden State Dairy began in San Louis Obispo in 1910. At the height of operations it provided dairy products to 24 locations including San Francisco. By the 1970's new health regulations had closed most local dairies including Golden State.
Do you think this milk bottle arrived in the Marin Headlands by boat or over the Golden Gate Bridge?
Trash or Treasure
Golden Gate NRA, Park Museum Program
Trash or Treasure?
During routine operations at Alcatraz in 1988, a collection of wrappers and trash was discovered in the attic of the cell house hospital. What insights could this random assemblage provide?
Among the items of newspapers, matchboxes, fruit wrappers, and light bulb packaging, a discarded 20-pack of Chesterfield cigarettes wrapped in glassine is notable for its historical narrative. This type of package is dated between 1915 and 1931. The Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company produced Chesterfield in 1912 after the federal dissolution of the American Tobacco Company in 1911. The age of the package is inferred from the fact that cigarette packs held only 10 cigarettes before 1915, and Chesterfield transitioned from glassine to cellophane wrappers in 1931. Chesterfield was the pioneer in waterproof packaging for their products starting in 1916.
What could explain the presence of these objects in the hospital's attic at Alcatraz? Who put them there? Was it intentional or absent minded? Was it all from the same time period, or an easy "out of sight, out of mind" gathering larger and larger?
Thin Metal Spoon
Golden Gate NRA, Park Museum Program, GOGA 9217
Anomaly?
This thin metal spoon, discovered in a tide pool on Alcatraz Island in 1981, bears no maker's marks. In contrast, other spoons typically found near structures on the island often have markings identifying them as property of the U.S. Army or the U.S. Penitentiary.
How do you think a spoon ended up in a tide pool? Is it possible it belonged to a family that lived on the island?
Keys in Anoxic Storage
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program
Unlocking questions of the past
These keys were all found in 1999 at an area known as the Quartermaster’s Dump during the Crissy Field Restoration Project. The keys are now anoxically encased to prevent further decay of the metal; a process which removes the oxygen and replaces it with nitrogen, an inert gas, to preserve metal objects from their environment. (For more on the parks metal preservation efforts)
Each key shows a unique style and their ranging sizes indicate they were likely for different purposes. Doors? Cabinets? Keepsake boxes? What do you think the Army used each of these keys to secure?
Military Issued Wristwatch
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program, GOGA 41728
Timing History
Discovered during foundation trenching at Fort Mason in 2010, this wristwatch is a MIL-W-46374 model, similar to the DTU-2A (MIL-W-3818) Vietnam Field watch produced by BENRUS in 1962. During the early 1960s, the U.S. military sought to improve their timepieces to more effectively meet the needs of soldiers in combat. The urgency for this upgrade was heightened by years of using different watch models, which had varying degrees of success and failure. By 1964, the military was in pursuit of an accurate, disposable, and non-maintainable watch, constructed from plastic or metal, to distribute to ground forces, including the infantry. The MIL-W-46374 watch design underwent seven revisions over thirty-five years of service until the military ceased issuing watches in 1999.
Do you think the watch broke and was disposed of? Was it lost and forgotten?
Two Mugs Fused
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program, GOGA 39000
Mugs on the Beach.
These two ceramic mugs are fused together and were turned in to the park in 1999. Originally, the items were found by a soldier on the beach at Fort Baker in the 1940s. The insignia on the mugs, which is an eagle flying over a wheel with a crossed key and sword, belongs to the US Army Quartermaster Corps. Above the insignia are the letters U.S.A. with T.S. below.
U.S.A.T.S. likely indicates the United States Army Transport Service, a branch of the Quartermaster Corps responsible for land and water transport operations from 1861 to 1942, afterwhich it separated from the Quartermaster Corps to become the Transportation Corps
The mugs were manufactured by Greenwood China, which was located in Trenton New Jersey and operated between 1890 and 1929.
How do you think these mugs ended up on the beach at Fort Baker? Do you think they fell off of a boat coming through the Golden Gate, or dropped by someone on the beach?
Coins found in the park
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program
Coins and tokens found all over the park.
Coins and tokens are immediately discernable, and most people relate them to currency. This image shows a grouping of coins including:
Five Lincoln head pennies dated 1939S (F), 1952D (G), 1958D (J), 1966 (I), and 1964D (K). The 1939S penny was minted in San Francisco, while the ‘D’ pennies were minted in Denver and the one without a letter was minted in Phildelphia. One was found by park maintenance in the Marin Headlands in 1983. The other four were found during an archeological dig at Lands' End in 1979.
Two Jefferson nickels dated 1964 (D) and 1940 (L). One was found by park archeologists at Lands’ End in 1979, and the other was collected from Alcatraz by the park archeologist in 1999.
The Chinese coin (A) at the top left was found in Fort Mason in 1985 by the park archeologist. This "Kang Xi Tong Bao" coin was possibly minted in the Qing dynasty (1667-1674) although it could be a souvenir or duplicate coin made more recently. Further testing is required to prove its origin.
At the top right are two Army Exchange tokens, which were used by soliders to purchase goods at the Exchange. One was found in 1996 by a construction worker at Fort Mason (C), and the other found at Fort Baker (B) in 1997 by park volunteers.
At center, there is an 1854 English Penny (E), it was found at an archeological excavation at Fort Mason in 1975.
At the center right is a 1788 Spanish colonial coin (H) found in the Tennessee Valley by a National Park Service archeologist in 1981.
These all were likely lost by their owners, escaping a pocket, rolled away from a dropped purse, or fiipped too vigorously. But how do you think a Spanish colonial, Qing dynasty, and British penny found their way to California?
Roll up door handle and a schematic of a balloon hanger
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program, GOGA 12415
Crank History
A park ranger found this military era door handle in 1983 at Fort Funston. The site includes locations for anti-aircraft magazines as well as a balloon hanger. Handles like these were detachable and often used to crank a roll up door open and closed.
Which site was it used for? The balloon hanger or the anti-aircraft magazine? How did it get left here?
Wooden Treenail and a Two Masted Schooner
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program, GOGA 10239
Sailing History
A treenail, also known as a trunnel, is peg, pin, or dowel crafted from well-seasoned wood used to join pieces together. In wooden shipbuilding, treenails are employed to secure frames, as well as hull and deck planking.
The park historian found this treenail at Fort Funston after winter storms in 1983 exposed the remains of a shipwreck. The park staff believe this is from the two-masted schooner Neptune which was built by Hans Bendixsen in Fairhaven (Eureka), California in 1882. The Neptune carried milled lumber and other products from small coast mills to market in San Francisco. The schooner, upon exiting the Golden Gate Strait, encountered too calm winds and began drifting toward Mussel Rock in Daly City. As it approached the shore, the ship became caught in a dangerously strong current that set inshore. Despite the effort of the crew dropping anchor, the schooner kept drifting towards land until it became stranded on the beach at Sloat Boulevard.
What part of the ship do you think this treenail was used to hold together?
Corbin Padlock
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program, GOGA 41730
Locked History
This padlock was found by a park archeologist while monitoring a building rehabilitation at Fort Mason between 2010 and 2011. The Corbin Cabinet Lock Company was established in New Britain, Connecticut in 1882. New Britain was known as the “Hardware City” due to the numerous manufacturing companies that contributed to modern industrialization there.
We can determine that this padlock is newer than 1882 due to the style of the brand logo on the lock's body. Additionally, the differing rates of deterioration between the hasp and the body may indicate variations in the metals used, and the manufacturing methods of a particular time period.
What do you think was being secured at Fort Mason with this padlock?
Cannonball
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program, GOGA 10238
How did that get there?
In 1982, a park visitor discovered a cannonball on the beach at Fort Funston following a storm on Christmas Day, and later handed it over to park authorities. It is a solid round shot, approximately four inches in diameter. We are grateful that this object was saftely given over to the park, but it's important to be aware that some ordnance encountered at formerly active military bases may be unexploded ordinace (UXO). Should you come across any such items, it is crucial to leave it in place and alert park authorities immediately so they can assess the situation and ensure everyone's safety.
Fort Funston wasn’t established until World War I after artillery technology had already advanced to larger caliber cannon, how do you think a 19th century cannonball ended up there?
Shards and Sherds from the GGNRA Archeology Collection
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program
Shards and Sherds of History
Glass and ceramic fragments are more some of the most common artifacts found at historic archeological sites. Archeologists use various methods to date these kinds of artifacts: maker’s marks, material types, and manufacturing techniques are all consulted and evaluated to determine the age of the item. Generally, these factors will elicit a range of dates that can tell us the terminus post quem or 'limit after which' that defines the earliest date the event may have happened. For example, if a bottle fragment dates from 1879-1910, we would know that the bottle could not have been deposited at the site before 1879. However we cannot be secure in saying the bottle was deposited before 1910, after all it could have been repurposed, landing at the site decades after its creation.
Ceramic pottery are functional objects generally used for many years past their manufacture date, unlike most bottles which are typically disposed of after their contents are dispensed. The shape of ceramic fragments, which are refered to as sherds, can often reveal clues about what might have been contained in the vessel or for what purpose it served.
Alcatraz is well-known for its notorious inmates, yet it's less known that there were over 100 children living on the island. These were the children of the military personel and correctional officers, as well as during the Indian Occupation. The remnants of their presence, such as small porcelain plates, wooden boats, and predominantly plastic figurines and vehicles, have been found scattered in the garden areas.
The standard for archeological research is typically evaluating properties that are 50 years or older, therefore as time passes, there will be more archeological sites that contain artifacts made of plastic like toy soldiers. There are ways to date plastics by evaluating material type, manufacturing techniques, and maker’s marks. Unlike ceramics and glass, these methods are not as refined or well-documented.
The resilience of plastic can yield nearly pristine specimens for research and study. Whether this is beneficial or detrimental is subject to debate. What do you think about the archeology of plastics?
Alcatraz Cistern Marbles
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program, GOGA 40222
Rolling Through History
In 1960, Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, likened Earth to a "big blue marble" as seen from his spacecraft window. Marbles on Earth, often signify the presence of children. In 2002, while producing the "Dungeon's of Alcatraz" video, the park archaeologist discovered marbles in a cistern. Similar to glass shards, marbles can be dated by analyzing the materials and manufacturing methods used. Marbles and similar objects have been utilized for millennia, with the oldest known stone marbles linked to the Indus Valley civilization. Although glass has been the predominant material in recent times, marbles have also been crafted from clay, metal, ivory, plastic, and agate.
Did a child lose their whole collection at once or did these roll down at different times? Why do you think marbles have been used for so many years?
Sutro Heights in 1886 and a Statue Piece
Golden Gate NRA, Museum Program, GOGA 8535
Statue Piece
This statuary fragment was unearthed during construction work at Sutro Heights in 1981. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) Museum Program contains over 300 pieces of statues, varying from the size of a baseball to the original Diana and Lion statues.
In 1885, entrepreneur, real estate developer, and one term mayor of San Francisco, Adolph Sutro created Sutro Heights Park, an elegant and formal public garden that covered over twenty acres in the area now known as Lands' End. Inspired by the rugged beauty and incredible scenery of the area, Sutro intentionally designed the grounds to capture the views of the Pacific Ocean, the Golden Gate strait, and the Marin Headlands. He decorated the gardens with over 200 concrete replicas of Greek and Roman statuary imported from Belgium, with the intent to share examples of European culture to his San Francisco residents.
What does this statuary fragment look like to you? What part of a statue does it represent?
This bell, unearthed at Fort Miley—formerly home to Batteries Chester, Call, Lobos, Livingston, and Springer—was found by park employees during field reviews and evaluations of the coastal defense batteries between 1972 and 1979. It is believed to have been a timing bell, with its ringer operated by an electric current. Its purpose was to signal the gun crew in the pit when to load, aim, or fire. Given its current condition we will never hear this bell ring again.
Do you think there were different ring patterns depending on the situation? How loud do you think it was for the soldiers in the pit crew?
Assembling the Past
Archeology often evokes images of dirt, ancient artifacts, and buried treasures that have transformed our understanding of history. In the GGNRA, artifacts add to the stories of these lands whether made of metals, stone, glass, wood, or plastic. These materials range from common items like coins, keys, and locks to household goods such as spoons, plates, and bottles, and even unexpected finds like marbles and toys. Such discoveries have fascinated park archeologists and steered their research toward a greater comprehension of the area's strata and its inhabitants. Although these artifacts may not always appear coherent, archeologists and curators have used them collectively to piece together a narrative of historical human activity, enriching the storytelling and interpretive direction of the park.
What other stories are these artifacts waiting to tell?
Friendly Reminder,
Leave the digging to the professionals, it is illegal to dig in a National Park. Please, keep clean, leave the dirt to us and we will share what we find.
Last updated: September 11, 2024
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Mailing Address:
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
201 Fort Mason
San Francisco,
CA
94123
Phone:
415-561-4700
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Non-Emergency: 415-561-5505
Emergency: 415-561-5656
