Fort Guijarros facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Guijarros |
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San Diego Bay, California. “Battery (ruined)”; Enlarged detail of the tracing on the plan table sheet of the San Diego Bay, California. Survey by A.M. Harrison. Source: U.S. Coast Survey, 1851.
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| Location | Ballast Point, San Diego, California |
| Reference no. | 69 |
| Designated | November 6, 1980 |
| Reference no. | 27 |
Fort Guijarros was a Spanish fort located in what is now San Diego, California, USA. Its name means "Fort Cobblestones" in English. It was built in 1797 on Ballast Point. This fort was the first defense for San Diego Bay.
The fort was part of the Battle of San Diego. This was a sea battle between the fort and an American trading ship. Today, the site is recognized as California Historical Landmark #69.
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Fort Guijarros: Structure and Location
Fort Guijarros was built using adobe, which is a type of sun-dried brick. It had ten cannons ready for battle. At least two of these original cannons still exist today. One cannon, named "El Jupiter," can be seen at Fort Stockton, Texas. Another cannon, "El Capitan," is in Old Town Plaza in San Diego.
The fort was built in 1797 to protect the entrance to San Diego Bay. It was placed on a small hill at the base of Ballast Point in Point Loma, San Diego. In 1796, the Spanish called this spot "Punta de los Guijarros," meaning "point of the cobblestones." This is why the fort's English name is "Fort Cobblestones."
Ballast Point got its name because early American sailors would collect stones from there. They used these stones as ballast in their ships. This helped balance their ships on their long journeys around Cape Horn back to their home city, Boston.
Fort Guijarros: Key Events in History
The ten cannons of Fort Guijarros were only fired in battle two times.
The Battle of San Diego (1803)
The first time the cannons were used was in 1803, during the Battle of San Diego. Spanish soldiers had captured an American ship called the Lelia Byrd. This ship was in San Diego Harbor because it was caught smuggling otter skins. The ship's crew managed to overpower their Spanish guards. As they tried to sail out of the harbor, the fort's cannons fired to stop them. However, the Lelia Byrd fired back, forcing the fort's gunners to take cover.
Later Conflicts and Changes
The fort fired its cannons again in 1828, this time at another American smuggler ship called the Franklin. By then, the fort was under Mexican control.
In 1846, during the Mexican–American War, American Marines landed nearby. They took cannons that had been left at Fort Guijarros. They then used these cannons to attack Old Town San Diego.
In 1873, the United States Army took control of Ballast Point. They built new gun batteries there to defend San Diego. This new defense area was called Fort Rosecrans. These defenses were used through World War I and World War II. A lighthouse called the Ballast Point Light was built on Ballast Point in 1890. It stood there until 1957.
In 1962, the United States Navy built a submarine base on Ballast Point. This base became home to the Pacific Fleet's nuclear attack submarines. Today, the Fort Guijarros Museum Foundation works to uncover the history of Ballast Point. They do this through archeological digs and historical research.
