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| Landmark #129 | Kern County | Visited: August 20, 2011 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | A historical park filled with historical buildings! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: This military post was established by the United States Army on June 24, 1854, to suppress stock rustling and protect the Indians in the San Joaquin Valley. Camels for transportation were introduced here in 1858. As regimental headquarters of the First Dragoons, Fort Tejón was an important military, social, and political center – it was abandoned September 11, 1864.
OTHER TIDBITS: A volunteer shared this interesting bit of wasteful history with me: Beef was a major source of protein at the fort, and to keep the soldiers well supplied with beef, ships had to carry salted meat from the east coast, down around South America, and up to California, then to be carried over land up into the mountains where it could finally be eaten. The expense was enormous, but worth it, right? Well, ironically, Fort Tejón was located less than a mile from the Tejón Ranch, a cattle ranch. As if that weren’t bad enough, the Tejón Ranch specialized in producing leather, and only leather. Once they skinned the cows, they had nothing better to do than burn the corpses! This landmark is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: Fort Tejón State Historic Park on Lebec Rd 2.8 mi N of Lebec, CA 93243 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~75mi (121km) — 1.3hrs |
| When should I go? | The park is open every day from sunrise to sunset! The buildings are open from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM! |
