The Marine Cemetery vista overlooks a once-forgotten merchant marine cemetery where hundreds of sailors from 30 states and 43 countries were buried between 1881 and 1912. A memorial stone plaque at the vista pays tribute to these seamen from around the world who died at the nearby Public Health Service Hospital. Source: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/merchant-marine-cemetery-vista-and-memorial.htm ________________________________________________ Way back in 1875, the Treasury Department built a U.S. Marine Hospital at the Presidio just west of Mountain Lake to provide for "the temporary relief . . . of sick or disabled seamen" from all around the world. Though located on the military post, the hospital was not run by the U.S. Army. From 1881 until 1912, sailors who died here and who could not be returned home were laid to rest on a hillside behind the hospital. More than 500 mariners from 30 states and 43 countries were buried here. As the years passed, the cemetery was forgotten and turned into a landfill. It wasn't until 1989 that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rediscovered the site. Source: https://www.presidio.gov/places/marine-cemetery-vista