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Originally called "Capistrano
Bay", the Dana Beach cove was used for vessels trading with the
nearby Mission San Juan Capistrano.
Dana Point was discovered in 1818 by a French-born Argentinian pirate,
Hipolito Bouchard, when he moored his ship there and his sailors ransacked
the nearby mission at San Juan Capistrano.
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In 1835, Richard Henry Dana
(1818-1882) visited the area when he arrived aboard the ship "Pilgrim"
as a seaman. In 1840 Dana returned to his home in Boston and wrote
"Two Years Before the Mast" describing his journey around
Cape Horn and this area which now bears his name.
The original "Pilgrim" was built in 1825 and used in the
cattle hide trade between California and Boston. It was lost in a
fire at sea in 1856. Today a full-size replica of the "Pilgrim"
is anchored in Dana Point harbor. |
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Dana Point was original conceived
as a Spanish style town with wide streets named after lanterns with
kerosene lanterns serving as street lights. Today these street names
remain - and serve as a reminder of the past.
On the Hide Trail which runs along the edge of the bluffs, one can
find the ruins of a hotel from 1930 that was never finished due to
the Great Depression. There is also the hide drogher statue which
shows how the sailors in the 19th century would fling cowhides off
the cliffs to the vessels moored below. |
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Today Dana Point has a beautiful harbor
and is home to the Ocean Institute. |
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