This is Part 2 of our San Diego Day- A first for both of us. Being Native Californians (I was born 5.6 miles from here), came to learn more about our state and the local history. WOW!
Some background for out-of-staters. On July 1, 1769, the first European settlement on the Californian coast was established as a small, struggling Spanish colony. On this day, Governor Don Gaspar de Portola officially claimed “Alta California” as Spanish territory, and Father Junípero Serra arrived to establish what would become the first of 21 Spanish missions in the region (Mission San Diego de Alcalá). The San Diego Presidio, which was built to protect the original colonists from American Indian attack, became the military headquarters for continued Spanish exploration of the interior lands, and throughout Northern California.
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| Father Junípero Serra |
The Indian, a 9-foot statue completed in 1904 by sculptor Arthur Putnam, has a place of honor in Presidio Park alongside the road leading to the Junipero Serra Museum. The Indian is one of the Putnam statues commissioned by E. W. Scripps to depict California history.The Junípero Serra Cross, erected in 1913 in honor of Father Serra, stands at the center of the park. It is built from the many pieces of brick and floor tile that littered the site at the time of its construction.Next we learned other history which happened here in the form of California Historical Landmark 54 Fort Stockton. Fortified briefly by Carlos Carrillo in 1828, this site became Fort Dupont (July-November 1846) after American forces took Old Town during the Mexican War. Retaken and held briefly by the Californios, it fell once more to the Americans, who renamed it Fort Stockton and used it as campaign headquarters for ending the Californio revolt in early 1847. The Mormon Battalion stayed here later that year. With the post being finally abandoned on September 25, 1848.On a hidden knoll, we discovered an interesting collection of statuary, murals and historical plaques which interpret the presence and contribution of the Mormon Battalion in the area in early 1847. Battalion members who were stationed there assisted the community by building roads, digging wells, and constructing buildings for public use. Such rich, diverse history all in one hilltop park.I absolutely loved this work of art. The Grand March, a petrachrome mural created in 1940 with funding from the WPA Federal Art Project (FAP). When coming to this spectacular park, I never knew I would learn some art history as well. We have admired Federal Art Projects (FAP) in a variety of places we have traveled. It encompassed a wide variety of art forms—from sculpture and fresco to oil-on-canvas and wood relief. However, few realize that an entirely new medium was invented by an FAP artist solely for use on public projects in Southern California.
During the 1930s, while American artist Stanton MacDonald-Wright was in charge of the FAP in Southern California, he devised an entirely new method of creating murals, which he called petrachrome. The petrachrome process is significant not only to those interested in the New Deal but also to art historians in general. The process was similar in principle to a paint-by-numbers. Cement was first tinted with different pigments corresponding to the different sections of the mural. Next, crushed rock, glass, or tile was added to the mixture, which was then applied to the mural surface. Typically, the different color sections were delineated by strips of brass. The colored cement was allowed to harden and then polished, creating a bold, striking appearance. Instead of a mural being painted onto a surface, the petrachrome process was designed so that the mural was the surface. Reports at the time claimed that the result “more enduring than marble” and “should last as long as the remaining great monuments of antiquity.” Art history still here, out in the elements, 80 years later!
This amazing structure is the Junípero Serra Museum. Built in 1929, by the previously mentioned George Marston, it remains the primary architectural feature of Presidio Park. Marston is one of those men of history we should know. He was a founder and first president of the San Diego History Center in 1928; he had been an organizer and served as Trustee of the San Diego Public Library; he was one of the founders of the YMCA in 1882, served on its board for 62 years, as president for 22 years; Trustee of the San Diego State Normal School; City Council member; Park Commissioner; chairman of the Parks and Beaches Association. He raised funds and donated his own money to help start what are now Torrey Pines and Anza-Borrego Desert State Parks. And we saved the Presidio. Wow.
Unfortunately, the museum was closed. Nevertheless, we found plenty to do and absorb, including having lunch in a perfect picnic spot.This 1770 wine press really impressed. It was gifted by the Spanish Island of Mallorca, Father Junipero Serra's birthplace, for San Diego's bicentennial in 1969.One day, we will return to see what treasures are housed behind this door."History is merely a list of surprises.
It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again."
-Kurt Vonnegut
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1 comments:
Looks like a fun and busy day (like all the others). I have been thinking a lot about heading to Old Town lately. I know there are less people outing and abouting these days, but still more people than I would see at home (especially on the weekends).
How fun that you found a new spot! I love the arches along the walkway. So pretty. And that Father Serra. Boy did he get around!
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