Cabrillo National Monument facts for kids

Cabrillo National Monument
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
U.S. National Monument
Location in San Diego Show map of San Diego Location in San Diego County, California Show map of San Diego County, California Location in California Show map of California Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Nearest city	San Diego
Area	143.9 acres (58.2 ha)
Built	1949
Architect	US Lighthouse Board; National Park Service
Architectural style	Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals
Visitation	842,104 (2018)
Website	Cabrillo National Monument
NRHP reference No.	66000224
Quick facts for kids Significant dates
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966
Designated NMON	October 14, 1913

Cabrillo National Monument (which means Cabrillo National Monument in Spanish) is a special place at the very end of the Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego, California, United States. It celebrates the historic moment when Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo landed in San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. This was the first time a European explorer had ever set foot on what we now call the West Coast of the United States.

Every October, the park hosts the annual Cabrillo Festival Open House. This event brings history to life with a reenactment of Cabrillo's landing at Ballast Point in San Diego Bay. At the National Monument, you can enjoy Kumeyaay, Portuguese, and Mexican singing and dancing. There are also booths with food from that time, a historical reenactment of a 16th-century camp, and fun activities for kids.

From the park, you get amazing views of San Diego's harbor and skyline. You can also see Coronado and the Naval Air Station North Island. On clear days, you can even see a huge part of the Pacific Ocean, Tijuana, and Mexico's Coronado Islands. The park has a visitor center where you can watch a film about Cabrillo's journey and see exhibits about his expedition.

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse is the highest spot in the park. It has been a symbol of San Diego since 1855. The lighthouse stopped working in 1891 because fog and low clouds often blocked its light. It was 129 meters (422 feet) above sea level. A new one was built at a lower spot. Today, the old lighthouse is a museum. Visitors can go inside and see how the lighthouse keepers used to live.

The national monument also includes old military areas. These have coastal artillery batteries that were built to protect San Diego's harbor from enemy ships. You can see many of these old military structures when you walk around the park. One old army building now has an exhibit that tells the story of military history at Point Loma.

Near the monument's entrance, people used to glide in planes between 1929 and 1935. Famous pilots like William Hawley Bowlus set soaring records here. This included the first one-hour flight in a sailplane and a 15-hour flight in 1930, which was a world record. Even Charles Lindbergh flew a Bowlus sailplane along the cliffs of Point Loma in 1930. Markers for these achievements are near the entrance. The National Soaring Museum recognizes this spot as a National Soaring Landmark.

History of the Monument

1935 plaque at Cabrillo Monument

On October 14, 1913, President Woodrow Wilson set aside a small piece of land (about 0.5 acre) at Fort Rosecrans. He wanted "The Order of Panama" to build a large statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo there. By 1926, no statue had been built, and the Order of Panama no longer existed. So, President Calvin Coolidge allowed the Native Sons of the Golden West to try building a monument. But they also could not complete the project.

In 1935, the half-acre monument area was greatly improved. The old lighthouse was fixed up, and a new road was built to the monument. The ambassador from Portugal gave a bronze plaque. It honored Cabrillo as a "distinguished Portuguese navigator" who worked for Spain. The plaque said he made "the first Alta California landfall."

In 1939, the Portuguese government ordered a large statue of Cabrillo. They gave it to the United States. The statue was made of sandstone by sculptor Alvaro de Bree. It was 14 feet tall and weighed 14,000 pounds. The statue was meant for a big fair in San Francisco. But it arrived too late and was stored in a garage in Oakland. State Senator Ed Fletcher managed to get the statue in 1940 and sent it to San Diego. It was stored for several years at the Naval Training Center San Diego. Finally, it was put in place at Cabrillo Monument in 1949. The sandstone statue wore down badly because of the weather. So, in 1988, a new one made of limestone replaced it.

During World War II, Cabrillo Monument was closed to the public. The entire southern part of the Point Loma Peninsula was used for military purposes. After the war, Presidents Eisenhower and Gerald Ford made the national monument much larger. Today, it covers more than 140 acres.

Plants and Animals

Cabrillo National Monument tidepools

Even with challenges like pollution and development, Cabrillo National Monument is home to many different plants and animals.

Coyote exhibit at Cabrillo Visitor's Center

One of the most lively animal communities is in the tide pools. These are rocky pools left behind by the ocean at low tide. Animals living here include chitons, limpets, barnacles, sea lettuce, anemones, hermit crabs, and sea urchins. You can also find different kinds of snails, crabs, and fish like garibaldi. The best time to see the tide pools is in late fall or winter. This is when the tides are very low during the day.

In the winter, from December to March, you can see migrating gray whales off the coast. There's a special Whale Overlook station for this, just south of the old lighthouse. This was the first public whale watching spot in the world, started in 1950.

The park also has native coastal sage scrub habitat along the Bayside Trail. This is a great place for hiking and relaxing. It's also an important home for local wildlife.

The Cabrillo National Monument Foundation helps support the park. This group helps with educational activities and special projects. They also run a bookstore at the site.

Native and Non-Native Species

Over time, some non-native species have been introduced to the park's ecosystems. These are species that didn't originally live there but have adapted. One example is the Argentine ant. These ants have taken over from the native ants. This has affected the coast horned lizard population. These lizards only eat the native ants. In areas where Argentine ants have settled, you won't find the coast horned lizard anymore.

Point Loma Lighthouses

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

In 1851, the U.S. Coastal Survey chose the high point of Point Loma for a lighthouse. It was 422 feet above sea level. This spot seemed perfect to guide ships into the bay and along the coast.

Building the lighthouse started in early 1854 and finished in November 1855. The special lighting equipment, a large lens from France, arrived later. On November 15, 1855, the keeper lit the oil lamp for the first time. On clear nights, its light could be seen 25 miles out at sea. For 36 years, it welcomed sailors to San Diego harbor, except on foggy nights. However, because the lighthouse was so high up, fog and low clouds often hid its light from ships.

On March 23, 1891, the light was turned off for good. A new lighthouse was built at a lower spot. In 1984, the National Park Service lit the old lighthouse again for one night. This was to celebrate its 130th birthday.

New Point Loma Lighthouse

After the old lighthouse closed in 1891, the keeper moved to a new light station at the bottom of the hill. This new lighthouse is still active today. You can see it from the Whale Overlook, which is south of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. You can also see it from the tide pool area.

Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is a great place to buy souvenirs and learn about the park's history. You can also talk to Park Rangers and volunteers there. They can tell you about the day's weather and low tide times. You can get your National Park Passport stamped. The center has an "Age of Exploration" exhibit. You can also find out about ranger talks, guided tours, and film showings. The auditorium shows films like “In Search of Cabrillo” and “First Breath: Gray Whales.” Cabrillo National Monument also has a "Junior Ranger" program. Kids can earn a Junior Ranger badge by exploring the park and completing an activity sheet.

Events at the Park

Many events happen throughout the year at Cabrillo National Monument. Sometimes, there are "Fee Free Weekends" where everyone can enter the park for free. Other yearly events include "Whale Watch Weekend," "Founder’s Day," and "Open Tower Day."

"Whale Watch Weekend" is in January. It has special exhibits and ranger-led walks. Guests look for whales during the yearly migration of Pacific Gray Whales. "Founder’s Day" is on August 25. It celebrates when the National Park Service was created. "Open Tower Day" is on November 15. This marks the anniversary of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. On these two days, the tower at the top of the lighthouse, which is usually closed, is open to the public. The park also opens one of its fully restored World War II bunkers on the fourth Saturday of each month.

A four-day celebration for the park's 100th birthday was planned for October 11–14, 2013. But it was canceled because of a government shutdown. The park rescheduled the event to happen with "Fort Rosecrans Goes to War" on December 7–8, 2013. This event honors San Diego and World War II. Some other planned centennial events took place in 2014.

Gallery

• Cabrillo National Monument
• 

  Front side, old Point Loma Lighthouse, August 1962

• 

  3-Quarter view, Old Point Loma Lighthouse, February, 2018

• 

  Rear view, Old Point Loma Lighthouse

• 

  A crab found in the CNM tidepools, February 2013

• 

  Coronado from the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, February 2013

• 

  Dry conditions at Cabrillo National Monument, December 2013

• 

  Panosphere at Cabrillo National Monument

• 

  The Cabrillo Light House from the East as of 12-2020

See also

In Spanish: Monumento nacional Cabrillo para niños