HAWKHILL

       Now let's delve a little deeper into the rich history of Marin Headlands. An important part of its history is when Marin County residents came together in 1965 to defeat Marincello, but we also wouldn't have this beautiful place today without the help of the military. Marin Headlands is known for its breathtaking scenery, which was of great interest to the United States Army during the Second World War in 1942. They would use the land as a way to protect the entrance to the Bay using underground coastal artillery batteries to shoot down incoming battleships; the location was even named "Battery Construction 129." The military planted trees and greenery to camouflage the forts from attack.  When airplanes became widespread, they had no purpose for this place, so they abandoned it in the midst of World War II and left it in its natural state.

       However, this is not the end of the Marin Headlands military history, as it was used again during the Cold War in 1955. Instead, this time it was an active Nike nuclear missile defense site, designed to shoot down aircrafts. There were a total of three nuclear missile sites in Marin Headlands, each with its own radar and guidance station. In fact, one of them had its radar and guidance control center on Hawk Hill, this missile site was known as Nike Site SF 87L. Though the sites were decommissioned and the structures were destroyed, you are still able to see concrete foundations and remnants of the radar pads throughout Marin Headlands.