ThePointLomaLighthouseandOtherAttractionsatCabrilloNationalMonument

ByDylanFisherandMichaelGavrilovich
AlmostallSanDiegoresidentshaveheardofCabrilloNationalMonument.Tosome,it'saplacethatallowsyouto
connectwithSanDiego'sroots.Toothers,it'sahistoricalsitewithwhichonecan"observe"lifebackinthe19thCentury.To
othersstill,it'sanaturaldestinationwithbeautifulsightsoftheoceantobehold.Andtomany,itstandsasareminderofourlong
battlesinWorldWarsIandII.ThismonumentstandsonthePointLomapeninsula,astretchoflandthatservesasanatural
barrierthatcoverstheviewofCoronadoIslandtotheeastandcreatesthenarrowpassageintoSanDiegoBay.Thispeninsulais
veryhistorical,withastatueofafamoussailor,acenturyoldlighthouse,abeautifulintertidalzone,andaderelictmilitary
bunkerwithhatchesstillvisiblefromtheground.
Everyyear,SanDiegolocalsandtouristsalikevisittheCabrilloNationalMonument.Therearemanysightstobehold
there:theCabrillostatue,theOldPointLomaLighthouse,thetidepoolsontheshoreline,andevenevidenceofancientand
currentmilitarypresence.Withnearlyonemillionvisitorsayear,theCabrilloMonumentcaneasilybeseenasapopulartourist
attraction(NPS).Butwhatisitabouttheparkthatappealssomuchtovisitorsandthegeneralpublic?Itisnoquestionthat
touristslearnmuchfromtheirexperiencesatthemonument,buttheyonlylearnsuchthingsbecausepartoftheparkattractsthem
toit.Cabrillo'sstatue,thelighthouse,thetidepools,andthemilitaryhistorysparkinterestineveryonetheparkattracts.
CabrillosMonument
Themonumentcanbedismissedasastatueofasailor,butthatsailor,whosenamewasJuanRodriguezCabrillo,hasa
greathistoricalsignificancetoSanDiego.HewasthefirstEuropeannavigatortosailintoSanDiegoBay(NPS).Notmuchis
knownabouthisyouthinfact,littletonothingisknownabouthislifebeforehispositionasa"captainofcrossbowmen"under
thecommandofHernanCortesinthebattlesbetweentheSpanishandtheAztecs(NPS).AftertheEuropeans'victoryoverthe
Aztecsduetoanoutbreakofsmallpox,CabrillocontinuedhismilitarycareerinNewSpain,whichwenowknowasGuatemala,
Mexico,andSanSalvador.Foraperiodoftime,helivedintheGuatemalanregion,wherehebuiltupareputationasaship
builder(NPS).InJuneof1542,theViceroyofNewSpainselectedCabrilloasacaptainoveranexpeditionto"explorethe
Pacific"(NPS).Threemonthsintohisjourney,CabrillodiscoveredSanDiegoBay,whichhecalled"aclosedandverygood
port"(NPS).HeclaimedthelandforSpainonSeptember28,1542,andhenameditSanMiguel,thoughthewouldlaterbe
changedbyanotherexplorersometimeafter(NPS).Cabrillo'svoyagemaynothaveclaimedthelandforAmerica(thathappened
manyyearslater),butbeingthefirstEuropeansailortoevernavigateashiptoSanDiegoBaygiveshimagreathistorical
significancetothecity.Thoughhediedofashatteredlimbonlythreemonthslater,andaharshwinterforcedhiscrewtoretreat
toNewSpain,hisstorylivesonintheCabrilloMonument(NPS).Muchlikethestatue,anothermonumentwhichholdsboth
historicalsignificanceandisoneofthemainattractionsatCabrilloNationalMonumentistheOldPointLomaLighthouse.
OldPointLomaLighthouse
TheOldPointLomaLighthouseistheoldestlighthouseinCalifornia.Itwasbuiltin1855asoneoftheeightoriginal
westcoastlighthousestohelpnavigateshipsforthenewlyacquiredWestcoast.(TheOldPointLomaLighthouse,5).Therewas
agreatneedforlighthousesalongtheWestcoastandespeciallyinSanDiego.Inthelate1800s,thereweremanyshipstraveling
alongthecoastbecauseofthe1848GoldRush.("AFixedWhiteLight)Shipcaptainsoftenhadtouseoldinaccuratemapsand
chartstoguidetheirwayintoport.Thiscausednumerousshipwrecksanddelaystoprojects.OnSeptember28,1850,congress
budgeted$90,000tobuildlighthousesalongtheWestCoast.("AFixedWhiteLight)Californiahadonlybeenastatefor20
days.Inthenextyear,theU.S.CoastSurveytraveledupthecoast,selectedninespotsforlighthouses,includingPointLoma.The
lighthousewascompletedin1855inaCapeCodstylelighthouse,locatedattheendofalong,highpeninsulanowknownas
PointLoma.

From1855to1891thelighthousewasabletoguideshipstotheSanDiegoBay(AFixedWhiteLight)by
projectingabrightlightthattypicallycouldbeseen23milesaway,whilestanding422feethighabovesealevelontopofahill
lookingoverthesea.(TheOldPointLomaLighthouse,8).
PointLomaTidepools
AnotherattractionthatCabrilloNationalMonumentholdsisonethatisprovidednaturallybytheenvironment
surroundingPointLoma:thetidepools.Thetidepoolsbeneaththehillthatthemonumentstandsonarehometodiversewildlife
andnaturalbeautythatenticestheeyesofthosewholovenature.Atidepoolisacollectionofwaterthatgetstrappedbythe
terrainduringthelowtide,formingpoolsinwhichallowfishandothermarinelifetothriveinuntilthenexthightidecomesin.
AccordingtotheNationalParksServicewebsite,thisparticulartidepoolareais"intertidal,"which,insimpleterms,meansthe
areabetweenlowandhightides(NPS).Thereismuchtolearnaboutmarinelifeinthetidepools.Forexample,afewofthe
specieslivinginthatareaare"periwinklesnails,linedshorecrabs,acornbarnacles,troglodytechitons,andvariouslimpets"

(NPS).ThetidepoolsarealsohometoCaliforniamussels,seahares,snails,crabsandevenoctopi.Beneaththesurfaceofthe
waterliesseastars,largefish,and"manytypesofseaurchins"(NPS).Asidefromthemonumentsdiversewildlife,Cabrillo
NationalMonumentcontainssomeofSanDiegosmostprominentmilitaryhistory.
MilitaryHistory
OneofthemostinterestingthingsabouttheareatheCabrilloMonumentstandsonisitsmilitaryhistory.Themilitary
hasbeenstationedinthePointLomapeninsulaintimespast,anditsgeographiclocationmakesitperfectfordefenseoftheSan
DiegoBay.Thelocation'shistoryinthemilitaryissuretoattractvisitors.AccordingtotheNPS,themilitarybeganusingthe
peninsulain1852,whentheUnitedStatesgovernment"designatedtheareaasamilitaryreserve"(NPS).Betweentheyears1899
and1943,FortRosecranswasequippedwithgunbatteries,firecontrolstations,andsearchlightbunkers.BatteryAshburn,which
isveryclosetotheparkentrance,housedthelargestgunsinthearea.TheOldPointLomaLighthousewaspaintedolivegreen
andthemilitaryuseditasacommandpostwhileoccupyingthesurroundingareaonthepeninsula(NPS).Thereisanoldradio
stationhousethatfeaturesanexhibitonthemilitaryhistoryinPointLoma,andarangerwilloftenbetheretoanswerquestions
onweekends.Astheareawasusedformilitaryoperations,militaryveteranscouldpotentiallybeinterestedinvisitingthe
CabrilloMonument.AlsoaccordingtotheNPSsite,therearestillsomecoastaldefensesystemsleft,butthepicturessuggestthat
theyareobscuredbyconcreteanddirt.
TherearefourattractionsoftheCabrilloMonument,eachofwhichconsiderablyattractsvisitors.Thefirstattractionis
themonumentitself,aconstantreminderofCabrillo'ssignificancetoSanMiguel,whichhassincebeenrenamedSanDiego,
accordingtotheNationalParksService.ThesecondbeingtheOldPointLomaLighthouse,servesasarepresentationoflifein
the19thcentury,whenwestillhadcandlesaslightsourcesforourlighthouses.Itscurrentstatusasamuseumdrawsvisitorswho
areinterestedinhistorywheretouristscanalsoenjoytheviewoftheoceanfromthehillonwhichitstandson.Thethird
attractionisthetidepools,anaturaldestinationthatdrawstheattentionofthosewhohaveapassionfornature.Withover215,000
visitorsperyear,thetidepoolsareamongtheonlyexposuresomepeoplehavetomarinelife.Finally,asformermilitaryproperty,
andwithsomeevidenceofmilitaryoccupationleft,theessenceofmilitarypresenceisenoughtointerestsomeonewhohasa
connectiontoourmilitary.WhateverreasonitmaybethattouristscometovisitCabrilloNationalMonument,therewillalways
besomethingthatthemonumenthastooffer.Everythingaboutthemonumentthestatue,theOldPointLomaLighthouse,the
tidepoolsandthemilitaryhistorybringstouriststothePointLomaarea,andSanDiegoCitybyextension,wheretheywill
learnmoreaboutSanDiegoanditsrichhistory.