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  McCarthy Album 08, Photograph 029

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  Caption: "Target Practice," c. 1908. This postcard shows a plume of seawater thrown up by a mortar shell during target practice at Fort Point. The facilities at Fort Point were part of an effort by the U.S. government to protect the Golden Gate, entrance to the San Francisco Bay. Built between 1853-1861, the fort included emplacements for 141 guns but never fired a weapon in defense of the Bay. Its name was officially changed in 1882 to Fort Winfield Scott, but in 1886 the fort was officially downgraded to a sub-post of the San Francisco Presidio and the name discontinued. It was resurrected in 1912, with the establishment of a coastal artillery fortification at the Presidio, called, once again, Fort Winfield Scott. See also 96-07-08-alb05-322.

  Date: 1908