Cabrillo

_____ •:. __ Cabrillo National Monument California National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior ruins of an old Spanish fort. A rolled tin roof, a brick tower, and an iron and brass housing for the light topped the squat, thick-walled building. By late summer 1854 this work was done. But more than a year passed before the lighting apparatus—a 5-foot, 3d-order Fresnel lens, the best available technology—arrived from France and was installed. At dusk on November 15, 1855, the keeper climbed the winding stairs and lit the oil lamp for the first time. In clear weather its light was visible at sea for 25 miles. For the next 36 years, except on foggy nights, it welcomed sailors to San Diego harbor. other species of plants and animals. If you are patient, you might see the elusive octopus, a brightly colored nudi-branch, or the darting, camouflaged sculpin. Please observe them only and do not take anything from the tidepools: they are protected by law. The best time to explore the pools is during the low tides of fall, winter, and spring. Check with a ranger for the dates and times of these tides. Groups who wish to use the tidepools for study must make a reservation. When you explore, wear rubber-soled shoes and watch your step. The rocks are slippery. Things to See and D o . . View the annual gray whale migrations. Tour the Old Point Loma Lighthouse . . . Explore tidepools... Stroll through chaparral... Enjoy the sea views whales pass Point Loma on their way from the Arctic Ocean to the lagoons of Baja California. They leave their summer feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas in late September when the surface begins to freeze. Their 5,000-mile journey takes them to the sheltered waters of Scammons Lagoon and Magdalene Bay, where the pregnant females bear their calves. Hunted almost to extinction in recent times, these magnificent giants are under the protection of international agreements. Thousands of whales migrate past the park each season. The best place to see them is at the whale overlook. Scan the ocean beyound the kelp beds for the spouts that mark the location of the whales. During the migrations, rangers present programs on the natural history of the whales. Adult gray whales range in size from 42 to 46 feet—the females are larger than the males— and weigh about 45 tons. Relentless hunting in the 19th century almost exterminated the species. The California Gray Whale If you visit the park in late December, or January or February, you can witness one of nature's great spectacles: the annual migration of the California Gray Whale. Each year, as they have from time without memory, the At low ebb a tide pool resembles an aquarium But most of the time it is a place of surging water. The animals that live here are well adapted to survive the surf. At low tide, they are relaxed —open and feeding or moving slowly in quiet water. When the surf runs, they hold on desperately or hide in crevices. Many animals that live here are more like plants than animals They attach themselves to a surface and never move The sea anemone (top) is a common example. Limpets (below), which are related to snails, hold themselves in place with a powerful muscle called, sensiblyenough.a foot. At high and low tides, the muscle relaxes, but when the waves are pounding, it grips the rock tightly. The Old Point Loma Lighthouse is a reminder of simpler times: of sailing ships and oil lamps and the men and women who day after day faithfully tended the coastal lights that guided mariners. In 1851, a year after California entered the Union, the U.S. Coastal Survey selected this headland as the site for a navigational aid. The crest seemed like the right location: it stood 422 feet above sea level, overlooking the bay and the ocean, and a lighthouse there could serve as both a harbor light and a coastal beacon. Construction began 3 years later. Workers carved sandstone from the hillside for the walls and salvaged floor tiles from the The starfish's secret is the power of hydraulic suction Hundreds of little tubes hold it tightly to the rock Crustaceans, the family to which crabs belong, defend themselves against the surf by seeking shelter. The light had only a short life because the seemingly good location concealed a serious flaw. Fog and low clouds often obscured the light. On March 23, 1891, the keeper extinguished the lamp for the last time. Boarding up the lighthouse, he moved his family and belongings into a new light station at the bottom of the hill. Today the old lighthouse is refurbished and open to visitors, a sentinel from a vanished past. Tidepools On the western side of Point Loma, where the ocean meets the land, is a rocky environment of marine plants and animals that have adapted to harsh tidal conditions: pounding surf, exposure to sun and wind, and sharp changes in temperature and salinity. These tidepools are host to the flowery anemone, the scavenging lined shore crab, grazing limpets, spongy dead man's fingers, and a hundred San Diego is a city of many attractions. The park is a good place to survey the spreading urban scene. On a clear day you can see mountains a hundred miles away. Bayside Trail Before Cabrillo, Digueho Indians lived on Point Loma. They hunted small game and gathered the things they needed for food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. Along the trail are reminders of their use of the land: rabbit and squirrel, buckwheat, sage, and yucca. Also visible are the remnants of a coastal artillery system that defended San Diego harbor during World Wars I and II. The trail is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. About Your Visit Cabrillo National Monument is located within the city limits of San Diego at the southern end of Point Loma. To reach the park, take Rosecrans Street, turn right on Canon Street, turn left onto Catalina Boulevard, and proceed through the Naval Ocean System Center gates to the end of the point. Public buses make several trips each day to the monument. There are no service stations, eating places, or picnicking and camping facilities within the Navy gates. The monument is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. We suggest you stop first at the visitor center and see the exhibits on Cabrillo's voyage and pick up literature on features. Wayside exhibits along the walkways, at the lighthouse, the whale overlook, and the tidepools interpret the park's diverse resources. Programs are presented daily in the auditorium; check at the visitor center for the current schedule and other ranger-conducted activities. For Your Safety Stay on trails and crosswalks, and keep well back from the edge of the sandstone cliffs along the coast. Services for Disabled Visitors The visitor center is accessible to wheel chairs, and an electric shuttle to take disabled visitors to and from the lighthouse is available upon request. Check with a ranger for other services that help make programs and facilities accessible. Administration Cabrillo National Monument is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. A superintendent, whose address is P.O. Box 6670, San Diego, California 92106, is in immediate charge. Photo credits: The interpretive shelter and light house (above) by Marshall Harrington. At lower left, the tide-pool area and sea anemone by Lee Peterson; the limpet by Bob Covarrubias. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Fifty years after Columbus landed in the New World, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo set out on his epic voyage of discovery. Commanding two small ships of sail, he braved "great storms of rain, heavy clouds, great darkness, and heavy air" as he ranged into unknown waters, into neplus ultra—no more beyond. For the glory of God and the promise of riches Cabrillo s expedition explored the entire length of the California coast, taking possession in the name of the King of Spain and the Viceroy of Mexico. In the quest the conquistador was injured and died. The Age of Discovery A Portuguese "well versed in affairs of the sea," Cabrillo had marched with Hernan Cortes on Mexico City and sailed with Pedro de Alvarado to Mexico's west coast. After Alvarado died in an Indian uprising, Cabrillo assumed command of the ships San Salvador and Victoria. On June 27, 1542, he set sail from the tiny Mexican port of Navidad "to discover the coast of New Spain." He took supplies for 8 months, a priest, and several Indian interpreters. With him too rode the legend of Califia, fictional queen of an island kingdom "on the right hand of the Indies . . . very near to the Terrestrial Paradise." Her Amazon warriors carried swords of gold, "for in all the island, there is no other metal." Now as before in Spanish exploration, fantasy fed a noble cause. Cabrillo doubtless sought this golden realm of California. Perhaps he also hoped to find the Strait of Anian, the mythical gateway to the riches of the Orient. The lure of gold and a lust for power motivated Cabrillo's patron, Antonio de Mendoza, Viceroy of Mexico. A rival of Cortes, he sent Francisco Coronado overland in 1540 to search for the fabled Seven Cities of Cibola in present-day New Mexico. At the same time Mendoza dispatched another expedition by sea, under the command of Hernando de Alarcon. Hugging the coast, Alarcon sailed up the Gulf of California and entered the mouth of the Colorado River, a voyage that earned him the honor of being the first European to stand on California soil. Cabrillo and his men sailed in shallow draft, easily maneuverable caravels, which they had built on the west coast of Central America These open-deck vessels were probably less than 100 feet long and rigged with three or tour lateen sails San Salvador and Victoria, under his command, were the first European ships to enter San Diego harbor. in haze from Indian campfires. He christened it Bahia de los Fumos, today's Los Angeles. Pounding up the coast, his ships darted in and out of coves, often trailed by Indians in canoes eager to barter. Cabrillo noted some two dozen villages "very thickly settled." The inhabitants wore long hair braided with cords and adorned with scraps of bone, wood, or stone. Their food included acorns and a seed, perhaps maize, from which they made tamales. In the villages of "round houses, well covered down to the ground" stood totems—"very thick timbers like masts stuck in the ground . . . covered with many paintings." Going ashore in November for water, several soldiers scuffled with Indians on the island the Spaniards dubbed La Posesion — now known as San Miguel, one of the Channel Islands. According to a crewman's account, Cabrillo, rushing to aid his men, broke a leg while jumping from a boat. He apparently became infected with gangrene, for within 6 weeks he died. He spent his last days battling storms so fierce that his ships "could not carry a palm of sail." Off the Big Sur, "so great was the swell of the ocean that it was terrifying to see, and the coast was bold and the mountains very high." Cabrillo sailed on to Cabo de Pinos, near present-day Fort Ross, before turning back to Isla de Posesion. There, the log noted, he "passed from this present life, January 3, 1543." In his memory, the Spanish crew renamed the island Juan Rodriguez. One of Cabrillo s men remembered his captain as a person who knew and understood the things of the sea better than anyone of those who went before him. Had he lived. Cabrillo would have continued A year and a half later (28 September 1542) Cabrillo stepped ashore at a harbor "closed and very good." He named it San Miguel, the site of modern San Diego. The Spaniards were met, recounts a summary of Cabrillo's lost log, by a people "comely and large" wearing animal skins. The Indians, related to the Yumas, made signs that inland were other bearded men armed with swords and crossbows—possibly old news of Coronado's party. Cabrillo's crew waited out a storm, then continued up the coast, "where they saw many valleys and plains, and many smokes, and mountains in the interior." They sighted the islands of Santa Catalina and San Clemente, which Cabrillo originally named San Salvador and Victoria, after his ships. The shouting, dancing Indians laid down their bows and arrows and beckoned the Spaniards to land. A day later Cabrillo turned toward the mainland, to a pleasant bay shrouded There are no surviving portraits of Cabrillo. This illustration by Salvador Bru is based on the statue at Cabrillo National Monument. to seek new lands, the sailor believed, for his intention endured and the will to surpass each new discovery persisted. Heeding Cabrillo's wishes "not to fail to discover" more coastland, chief pilot Bartolome Ferrer pushed farther north, reaching southern Oregon. In early March Victoria disappeared in a storm, and her crew feared they would be lost. But the sailors "made a vow to go to their church stark naked, and Our Lady saved them." Reunited after 3 weeks, the ships found their way back to Navidad, arriving April 14. The expedition explored more than 800 miles of coastline, land Cabrillo studded with place names. Most were erased by a later explorer, Sebastian Vizcaino. Those preserved—San Miguel and the Sierra Nevadas, for example—were applied to different locations. Cabrillo's achievement, however, remained unchallenged. His voyage gave Spain knowledge of a region shrouded in mystery, though no use was made of it for another generation. ;. GPO; 1981-361-578/ 187