Milagra Ridge
| Milagra Ridge | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Ruins of Battery 244 overlooking Pacifica at Milagra Ridge
|
|
 Milagra Ridge
Milagra Ridge
Milagra Ridge
|
|
| Nearest city | between Daly City and Pacifica |
| Coordinates | 37°38′21″N 122°28′45″W / 37.63917°N 122.47917°WCoordinates: 37°38′21″N 122°28′45″W / 37.63917°N 122.47917°W |
| Area | 275 acres (111 ha) |
| Created | 1987 |
| Operated by | National Park Service |
| Website | www |
Milagra Ridge Military Reservation
 |
|
| Near Pacifica, California in United States | |
| Type | Harbor defense installation |
| Site information | |
| Owner | United States Army |
| Controlled by | United States Army Coast Artillery Corps |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1943 |
| Fate | Decommission 1987 |
Milagra Ridge is a 275-acre (111 ha) open space park that is an isolated island ecosystem, located about 7 miles (11 km) south of San Francisco, between the cities of Pacifica and Daly City. It was first inhabited by the Ohlone indigenous people, and was later claimed by Spanish settlers and Mexican ranchers.
The United States Army acquired the land in the late 1930s as part of a larger defense network that protected San Francisco Bay, including similar fortifications in San Francisco, Angel Island and the Marin Headlands. In 1943 the Army started construction of Battery Construction No. 244 on top of Milagra Ridge, which was called Milagra Ridge Military Reservation at the time. Two 6-inch (152 mm) T2/M1 guns mounted on shielded long-range barbette M4 carriages were moved from Fort Columbia to Battery 244 in 1948. The battery was decommissioned in 1950. Plans were drawn up to build a second gun emplacement armed with larger 16-inch guns, Battery Construction No. 130, but World War II ended before construction started on Battery 130.
In 1956 Nike missile site SF-51 was built here and converted to the Nike-Hercules system in 1958. Typical of Nike sites, SF-51 was divided into an administrative area (SF-51A), an integrated fire control area (SF-51C), and a launcher area (SF-51L); SF-51A and -51L lie within the area of Milagra Ridge, while SF-51C is in the neighboring Sweeney Ridge open space preserve. In 1961, Pacifica considered utilizing the empty Battery 244 casemate as their police station combined with an emergency civil defense headquarters for the County of San Mateo, but in 1969, a different location was chosen, partially due to limited access to the site. However, the City of Pacifica leased some of the underground area to the County for records storage in 1970. In January 1971, some students from Oceana High School broke into the bunker and set the records on fire, followed by another group of arsonists setting fires with highway flares in March 1972. Shortly afterward, officials stopped using the bunker.
...
Wikipedia