Monument Peak (San Bernardino Mountains)
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Old Spanish Trail map Monument Peak is a
summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...
in the
San Bernardino Mountains The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at at San Gorgonio Mountain â ...
, of San Bernardino County, California. It lies at an elevation of 5272 feet.


History

Monument Peak is the location where the
Mohave Trail The Mohave Trail was a Native American trade route between Mohave Indian villages on the Colorado River and settlements in coastal Southern California. History Starting from Mohave villages along the Colorado River in the upper Mohave Valley, t ...
crossed the crest of the
San Bernardino Mountains The San Bernardino Mountains are a high and rugged mountain range in Southern California in the United States. Situated north and northeast of San Bernardino and spanning two California counties, the range tops out at at San Gorgonio Mountain â ...
after ascending from the headwaters of the Mojave River up Sawpit Canyon and descended down the ridge between Cable Canyon and
Devil Canyon Devil Canyon, is a steep sided valley or canyon in the south side of Paivia Peak, in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California. Devil Canyon Creek with its tributary East and West Forks, are a tributary of the Santa Ana ...
to the San Bernardino Valley at the mouth of
Cajon Pass Cajon Pass (; Spanish: ''Puerto del Cajón'' or ''Paso del Cajón'') is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andreas ...
. The Garces-Smith Monument is located on the summit on Forest Road 2N49. This marker indicates the path of the Mohave Indian Trail, a centuries-old trade route linking the tribes of the
Colorado River The Colorado River ( es, Río Colorado) is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The river drains an expansive, arid drainage basin, watershed that encompasses parts of ...
to those of the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
. It also memorializes two noted early travelers, Father Francisco Garcés, who in 1776 became the first known missionary explorer to travel across San Bernardino County and leave a written record of his experiences and
Jedediah Smith Jedediah Strong Smith (January 6, 1799 â€“ May 27, 1831) was an American clerk, transcontinental pioneer, frontiersman, hunter, trapper, author, cartographer, mountain man and explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the Western United States, and ...
, who in 1826, was the first known Anglo-American to use the Mohave Trail. A historical marker was placed on the site September 19, 1931, by the San Bernardino County Historical Society. This became
California Historic Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...
no. 618 on September 11, 1956. In 1829–30
Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...
, merchant
Antonio Armijo Antonio Mariano Armijo (1804–1850) was a Spanish explorer and merchant who is famous for leading the first commercial caravan party between Abiquiú, Nuevo México and San Gabriel Mission, Alta California in 1829–1830. His route, the southe ...
led a trade party of 60 men and 100 mules to California, opening the Old Spanish Trail, following most of the route pioneered by those two pioneer explorers. Armijo did not cross over the mountains by the Mojave Trail route over Monument Peak but followed a route he called "San Bernardino Canyon" from the upper Mojave River west through
Cajon Pass Cajon Pass (; Spanish: ''Puerto del Cajón'' or ''Paso del Cajón'') is a mountain pass between the San Bernardino Mountains to the east and the San Gabriel Mountains to the west in Southern California. Created by the movements of the San Andreas ...
and down
Crowder Canyon Crowder Canyon, originally Coyote Canyon, is a valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its mouth was at an elevation of at its confluence with Cajon Canyon. Its source was at an elevation of 4200 feet at near Cajon Summit. The canyon runs so ...
and
Cajon Canyon Cajon Canyon, originally named El Cajon De San Gabriel De Amuscopiabit, ''El Cajon'' in Spanish meaning "the box" in English, is a long valley ending in a box canyon in the northeastern San Gabriel Mountains, within San Bernardino County, Californi ...
, known to the
vaqueros The ''vaquero'' (; pt, vaqueiro, , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became t ...
of the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia who had come to their aid with food.


Marker

The marker at the site reads: *''Traveled by Fr. Francisco Garcés, March, 1776, and Jedediah S. Smith, November, 1826.'' Erected 1931 by San Bernardino County Historical Society. (Marker Number 618.)Marker Database (Marker Number 618.
/ref> California Historic Landmark guide reads: *''NO. 618 GARCÉS-SMITH MONUMENT – This monument marks an old Indian trail, the Mojave Trail, used by Father Garcés in March 1776 on his trip from Needles to San Gabriel. The same trail was used by Jedediah Smith in 1826 on his first trip through San Bernardino Valley.


See also

*
California Historical Landmarks in San Bernardino County, California List table of the properties and districts — listed on the California Historical Landmarks — within San Bernardino County, Southern California. *Note: ''Click the "Map of all coordinates" link to the right to view a Google map of all properti ...
*
History of San Bernardino, California San Bernardino, California, was named in 1810. Earliest inhabitants San Bernardino's earliest known inhabitants were Serrano Indians (Spanish for "people of the mountains") who spent their winters in the valley, and their summers in the cool ...


References

Mountains of San Bernardino County, California Old Spanish Trail (trade route) Mountains of Southern California Mohave Trail {{SanBernardinoCountyCA-geo-stub