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Facts: Cabrillo National Monument Juan
Rodríguez Cabrillo led
the first European expedition to explore what is now the
west coast of the United States.
Cabrillo departed from the port of Navidad, Mexico, on June
27, 1542. Three months later he arrived at "a very good enclosed port." That
port is known today as San Diego bay. Historians believe
he anchored his flagship, the San Salvador, on Point
Loma's
east shore near
Cabrillo National Monument. Cabrillo later died during the
expedition, but
his crew pushed on, possibly as far north as Oregon, before
thrashing winter storms forced them to back to Mexico.
More information
about Cabrillo and the expedition is presented below.
Cabrillo National Monument, established in 1913, commemorates Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's voyage of discovery. A heroic statue of Cabrillo looks out over the bay that he first sailed into on September 28, 1542. A film, "In Search of Cabrillo," and an exhibit hall present Cabrillo's life and times each day at the Visitor Center. Ranger-led programs about Cabrillo are usually available on weekends and on many weekdays during summer months. Each winter the Pacific Gray Whales pass by the western overlooks of Cabrillo National Monument. After spending the summer feeding in the food-rich waters of the arctic, the Grays swim south along the coast to the bays of Baja California, where they mate and nurse their young. Along the way they pass Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument, where you can witness the annual winter journey. Along the paths of Cabrillo National Monument sit the remains of coastal defenses built to protect the approaches to San Diego Bay during two world wars. In the park you will find base end stations, fire control stations, search light bunkers, a radio shack, and other remains of troubled times; lonely sentinels that now serve to guard our memories of past times. A new exhibit shares the story behind these remains, and ranger
talks are often given on weekends. The Cabrillo National Monument
Foundation bookstore, located in the park, offers several titles
about Fort Rosecrans for those who wish to learn more. Today
the Old Point Loma Light House still
stands watch over San Diego, sentinel to a vanished past. The
National Park Service has
refurbished the interior to its historic 1880’s appearance
-- a reminder of a bygone era. Ranger-led talks, displays and brochures
are available to explain the lighthouses interesting past.
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