It was on Sept.

17, 1776, as we learn that it was established.
There were four of these Presidios in California, one at San Diego, the second at Santa Barbara, the third at Monterey, and the fourth here by the waters of the Golden Gate.

They were built on the lines of a square, three hundred feet long on each side, and the walls were made of adobes formed of ashes and earth.

Within this enclosure were the necessary buildings, of the simplest construction, such as the Commandante's house, the barracks, the store house, the shops and the jail.

The government buildings as a rule were whitewashed.