FIRST - American Fort in California - Monterey, CA
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 36° 36.405 W 121° 53.816
10S E 598651 N 4051815
The Presidio of Monterey is still an active military site.
Waymark Code: WMRNCJ
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 07/12/2016
Views: 1
The sign reads:
"FORT MERVINE
First American fort in California.
Built in 1846-47.
Named in honor of Captain William Mervine
who directed the raising of the
American flag over the custom house in 1846."
Wikipedia (
visit link) adds:
"The Presidio of Monterey, located in Monterey, California, is an active US Army installation with historic ties to the Spanish colonial era. Currently it is the home of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLI-FLC). Also this is the last and only Presidio in California to have an active military installation....
United States control of the area began in 1846 during the Mexican-American War when Commodore John D. Sloat, commander of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Squadron, landed unopposed a small force in Monterey and claimed the territory and the Presidio for the United States. He left a small garrison of Marines who moved the fort up to its current location on the hill overlooking the harbor, combining in one location the previously separated functions of military headquarters and fortress. The Presidio was renamed Fort Mervine in honor of Captain William Mervine, who commanded one of the ships in Sloat's squadron."
Visit Instructions:As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.