This monument commemorates the taking possession of California from Mexico for the United States by Commodore John D. Sloat in 1846. It features a granite eagle with folded wings and a relief of Sloat.
Wikipedia (
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" John Drake Sloat (July 6, 1781 – November 28, 1867) was a commodore in the United States Navy who, in 1846, claimed California for the United States.
Life
He was born at the family home of Sloat House in Sloatsburg, New York, of Dutch ancestry, and was orphaned at an early age, his father, Captain John Sloat, having been mistakenly shot and killed by one of his own sentries two months before he was born, and his mother dying a few years later. Sloat was brought up by his maternal grandparents.
Appointed midshipman in the Navy in 1800, he was sailing master of the frigate United States under Commodore Stephen Decatur during the War of 1812, and was promoted to lieutenant for conspicuous gallantry in the capture of the frigate HMS Macedonian. Sloat then commanded the schooner Grampus during which he fought the Action of 2 March 1825 against the pirate ship of Roberto Cofresí. He later served on the ships Franklin and Washington, and from 1828 commanded the sloop St. Louis with the rank of master commandant, to which he had been promoted in 1826. He was promoted to captain in 1837, and from 1840 to 1844 was in charge of the Portsmouth Navy Yard.
California
In 1844 Sloat was appointed to command the Pacific Squadron, and in 1845, as tensions with Mexico grew, he was instructed to land in Alta California and claim it for the United States if war broke out. Receiving a report of fighting on the Texas border while off Mazatlán, he raced north (the British were reportedly interested in California too), engaged in a skirmish called the Battle of Monterey, raised the flag over the Customs House at Monterey on July 7, 1846, and issued a proclamation announcing that California was now part of the United States. He was a Military Governor of California for only seven days, before handing over the office to Robert F. Stockton."
The Smithsonian Inventory (
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"Sloat Monument, (sculpture).
Artist:
Cummings, Melvin Earl, 1876-1936, sculptor.
Putnam, Arthur, 1873-1930, sculptor.
Bakewell & Brown, architectural firm.
W. W. Blanchard & Son, contractor.
Title:
Sloat Monument, (sculpture).
Other Titles:
Commodore John Drake Sloat Monument, (sculpture).
Dates:
Begun 1896. Dedicated June 14, 1910.
Medium:
Sculpture: granite; Base: stone.
Dimensions:
Sculpture: approx. H. 15 ft. x W. 20 ft.; Base: approx. H. 6 ft. x W. 24 ft. 1 in.
Inscription:
BAKEWELL & BROWN/ARCHITECTS/CUMMINGS & PUTNAM/SCULPTORS/W. W. BLANCHARD & SON/BUILDERS (On front of monument below relief:) TO.COMMEMORATE/THE.TAKING.POSSES/SION.OF.CALIFORNIA/BY.COMMODORE./JOHN.DRAKE/SLOAT/UNITED STATES NAVY/JULY 7.1846 (Names are inscribed on the base stones) signed Founder's mark appears.
Description:
Granite sculpture of an eagle with folded wings. The bird's head stretches forward. The eagle is perched atop a stone monument. On the front face of the monument is a relief medallion featuring the portrait bust of Commodore John Drake Sloat. He is shown in proper left profile. The monument ends in a rectangular base constructed of stone blocks.
Subject:
Portrait male -- Sloat, John Drake -- Bust
Occupation -- Military -- Commodore
Animal -- Bird -- Eagle
Object Type:
Outdoor Sculpture -- California -- Monterey
Relief
Sculpture
Owner:
Administered by City of Monterey, Cultural Services, Colton Hall, Monterey, California 93940
Located Presidio, Ft. Mervine Lane, Monterey, California
Remarks:
Commodore Sloat landed a detachment of Marines in Monterey in 1846 and declared California a possession of the United States. The monument base was begun in 1896 through the efforts of Major E. A. Sherman. $10,000 of the total cost of the monument was provided by the federal government. The names of various contributors who provided funding for the base are inscribed on the faces of the individual stone blocks. Putnam sculpted the eagle; Cummings sculpted the relief portrait. Blakewell & Brown were the architects for the monument. IAS files contain copy of related excerpts from Anna Geil Andresen's "Historic Landmarks of Monterey, California", Salinas, CA: 1917, pg. 12-14; and Merrill A. Reed's "Historical Statues & Monuments in California", San Francisco: 1956, pg. 37, 40.
Condition:
Surveyed 1994 November. Treatment needed."