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Cabrillo National Monument
The Cabrillo National Monument celebrates the landing on September 28, 1542, of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo at San Diego Bay. This event marked the first time that a European expedition had set foot on what later became the west coast of the United States. This monument was dedicated on October 14, 1913. The National Monument was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
A heroic statue of Cabrillo looks out over the bay. The statue was executed by sculptor Alvaro de Bree for the Portuguese Government in 1939, who donated it to the United States. The standstone monument is 14 feet (4 meters) tall and weighs 7 tons (6 tonnes). A museum screens a film about Cabrillo's voyage and has exhibits about the expedition.
The annual Cabrillo Festival Open House is held each October on Sunday. It commerates Cabrillo with a reenactment of his landing at Ballast Point, in San Diego Bay. Other events are held above at the National Monument and include Kumeyaay, Portuguese, and Mexican singing and dancing, booths with period and regional food, 16th century encampment, and children's activities.
The park offers a superb view of San Diego's harbor and skyline, as well as Coronado and Naval Air Station North Island.
At the highest point of the park stands the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, which has been a San Diego icon since 1854. In a former army building an exhibit tells the story of the coast artillery on Point Loma. In the winter, migrating gray whales can be seen off the coast. Native coastal sage scrub habitat along the Bayside Trail offers a quiet place to reflect and relax. On the west side of the park is a small but beautiful stretch of rocky-intertidal coastline, where tide pools can be seen during low tide.
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