A slice of Philippine history at San Francisco's Union Square

I have been to San Francisco's Union Square several times since I've started visiting the City. However, I have always been with family and friends so I never had the chance to see this bit of the city until I went exploring alone for the second time (I skipped it the first time I explored by myself). 

Anyway, I knew that there's a column in the middle of the Union Square and I've always wanted to see it up close... not just take a photo of the column but to see what it's actually about. And then I noticed the inscription on the base:

War has commenced between the United States and Spain... On the night of April 30th 1898, Commodore George Dewey's squadron entered Manila Bay... reduced the forts and held the city in subjection until the arrival of troops from America.

I was so surprised when I realised that this column is actually the Dewey Monument! And in Philippine history class, Commodore George Dewey held a stellar role. He led the American Navy fleet to victory in the Battle of Manila Bay of the Spanish-American War, that led to the significant decline in the Spanish Empire. It was no longer el imperio en el que nunca se pone el sol by the end of 1898 through the Treaty of Paris*. 

The Dewey Monument is topped by a statue of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. At first, I thought that she was holding a cross (like Reyna Elena?) but a closer inspection of the photograph revealed that it's actually a trident. The statue holds a wreath on the other hand.

I was checking out old photos to see if there was a time when the Dewey Monument was not surrounded by tall buildings. Apparently, buildings were already around Union Square when the monument was dedicated to the victory of the Dewey-led American fleet in 1903. But many of these buildings were damaged during the earthquake of 1906; the Dewey Monument was one of the few left standing.

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*Before the Treaty of Paris was signed, the Philippines had declared its independence from Spain. Little did the Filipino leadership realise then that Spain never recognised this independence, selling this colony to the USA for $20 million. The Philippine Republic eventually became independent on July 4, 1946.