One of the last places Nicole and I visited before she left was Presidio Park. Presidio Park is located on the site where the San Diego Presidio and the San Diego Mission were founded in 1769. These were the first European settlements in what eventually became the western United States.
Although there are no real historical structures left, there is still a lot of cool things to see. There is a guided walk, “The Old Presidio Historic Trail” that begins near Old Town State Historic Park, and the intersection of Juan Street and Mason Street. It takes you up along Mason Street until you hit Presidio Park., giving you bits of trivia and questions, whose answers are revealed at the following marker. It’s definitely a cool feature.
One of the structures that stood out right away for me a large brick cross. It turns out this cross at Presidio Park is made from adobe bricks used in the first mission of San Diego. That is a neat way to recycle and bring history to this structure!
Walking further up the hill, we tried to explore the inside of the Serra Museum; unfortunately, it was closed. There were still a few things to see around the museum, as well as getting a SPECTACULAR view of the bay, the San Diego River valley, and the city. The view alone was worth getting up there.
Another fantastic find the California Historical Landmark No. 54, Fort Stockton. Fort Stockton was occupied by the Mormon Battalion. The battalion was the only religiously based unit in US military history. They were a volunteer unit that marched from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego during the Mexican-American War. The plaques at the site contained a lot of information about this group and was a nice added addition to our trip.
