[2] It is located near the geographical center of the city, south of Twin Peaks and Portola Drive and to the west of Diamond Heights and Glen Park.

In April of 1865 when news of Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox hit the city one patriotic citizen named Matilda Heron sent a messenger to the summit to raise the Stars and Stripes.

[10] The appraiser for Sutro's heirs, A.S. Baldwin, bought the western slope of the mountain in 1911, along with much of the land immediately north and south of Mount Davidson.

Harry enters the park from Lansdale Avenue, an entry close to the Muni bus stop, before confronting Scorpio at the base of the cross.

Every night for a month cinematographer Bruce Surtees would ride a crane to the top of the cross only to be hampered by foggy weather.

The cross itself has been the subject of much debate among the residents of San Francisco as they have tried to weigh its religious role against its status as an historic landmark.

[14] After a long legal battle and loss at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in 1997 the City auctioned 0.38 acres (0.15 ha) of land, including the cross, to the highest bidder.