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| Landmark #50 | San Diego County | Visited: April 21, 2013 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | One of four hard-to-reach plaques at the Point Loma Naval Base! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: Late in 1857, the three Johnson brothers and the twin Packard brothers came to this site to survey possibilities for a station to “try out” or extract whale oil. Their operations began the next year. In 1869 the U.S. Government acquired the property for Fort Rosecrans and in 1873 whaling operations at Ballast Point ended.
OTHER TIDBITS: Whaling, like the whales, had been dying out in the southern Pacific in the early 1800s, but the California Gold Rush sent the demand for whale oil surging back to life! With the help of an explosive-tipped harpoon called a bomb lance, the San Diego whaling industry was born. Most of the whalers here were originally from New England. Relying on the Point Loma Lighthouse keeper for alerts, when a migrating gray whale appeared off the coast, a pistol would sound, and a team would row out from shore to kill the whale and drag it back to shore! In heavy years, they would take as many as 15 whales and nearly drove the gray to extinction! Ultimately, the company’s bills exceeded their funds as whales became scarcer and scarcer, and in 1873, the U.S. Army kicked out the whalers and took over Ballast Point to build Fort Rosecrans! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: Base of Ballast Point S end of Rosecrans St, where historic markers are on a half circle U.S. Naval Submarine Base San Diego, CA 92106 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~122mi (197km) — 2.1hrs |
| When should I go? | The base is normally closed off to civilians, but there are certain events that will allow you to see the plaques, like the Battle of the Bay celebration on the third Saturday in April! |