Mojave Memorial Cross facts for kids
Quick facts for kids White Cross World War I Memorial |
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| Veterans of Foreign Wars | |
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| For the dead of all wars. | |
| Established | 1934 |
| Location | 35°18′53.4″N 115°33′1.4″W / 35.314833°N 115.550389°W near Cima, California, U.S.
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Erected in Memory of The Dead Of All Wars
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The Mojave Memorial Cross, also known as the White Cross World War I Memorial, is a cross located in the Mojave desert in San Bernardino County, California. This cross became famous because of a legal case called Salazar v. Buono, which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The cross was first put up in 1934 to remember and honor soldiers who died in wars.
The cross stands on a rocky spot called Sunrise Rock. This spot is near Cima Road, about 12 miles (19 km) south of Interstate 15. It is also about 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Cima, California. The area around the cross is part of the Mojave National Preserve.
History of the Mojave Cross
The Mojave Memorial Cross was first put in place in 1934. People who took care of the cross learned about the spot from a prospector named John Riley Bembry. He had served as a medic in World War I. He was one of the veterans who helped set up this special monument.
Volunteers have always helped to maintain the cross. It has even been rebuilt after being damaged. In 2002, the cross was covered up with boards. This happened after some courts said it was against the law. They worried it went against the idea of separation of church and state. This means keeping government and religion separate.
Court Case and Land Exchange
On April 28, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court made a decision about the cross. In a close vote, they sent the case back to a lower court. The Supreme Court said that it was not against the law when Congress gave the land around the cross to a group of veterans. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that removing all religious symbols from public places is not always needed.
In April 2012, a plan to move Sunrise Rock out of the Mojave National Preserve was approved. This meant the land where the cross stood would no longer be public land. On Veterans Day, November 11, 2012, the cross was officially rededicated. Henry Sandoz led this ceremony.
The Cross Is Stolen
Between May 9 and 10, 2010, the cross was cut down and stolen from Sunrise Rock. A spokeswoman for the National Park Service said there was a $125,000 reward. This reward was for information that would help find and arrest the thieves. The VFW group promised to rebuild the memorial. They said the theft made the legal fight personal for many veterans and their families.
The wooden cover that had been on the cross since 2002 went missing on May 8, 2010. The cross itself was seen on May 10. But park rangers reported it missing on May 11 when they returned to the site.
Someone contacted a newspaper, the Desert Dispatch. This person claimed to have a message from the person who took the cross. The message said the cross was not damaged. It was moved by a veteran who did not want it on public land. The message also said a non-religious memorial was brought to the site. But it could not be put in place of the cross.
On May 20, 2010, park rangers found a copy of the stolen cross. It was bolted to the original base. Park staff removed it. A park spokesperson said that people cannot just put up memorials in a national park.
The original cross was finally found in early November 2012. It was found over 500 miles (800 km) away in Half Moon Bay, California.
See also
In Spanish: Cruz conmemorativa del Mojave para niños
