7/22/2019
Landmark information
- Location:
In front of recreation center on Elk St, Glen Canyon Park, San Francisco - Plaque:
Official State Plaque - Site:
Nothing Remains - Date First Visited:
3/2/1997 - Date Most Recently Visited:
7/22/2019 - GPS Coordinates:
N 37 44.170, W 122 26.393
About this landmark
Plaque text:
The first dynamite factory in America
Giant Powder Company, under personal license of inventor Alfred Nobel, began producing dynamite here on March 19, 1868. On November 26, 1869, a massive explosion leveled the complex's buildings and fences. Giant Powder soon resumed operations in west San Francisco, and moved to its final site at Pt. Pinole in 1892. As a pioneer company, Giant Powder was so influential that "Giant" became synonymous with "dynamite," a vital ingredient for California's early development.