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Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo Statue and Tourists Looking at Mission Bay, Cabrillo National Monument, Point Loma, San Diego, California
Photo ID# RW2126
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In 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States and led the first European expedition of the region. He is believed to have first set foot on the shores of Point Loma, near Cabrillo National Monument. Cabrillo ended up dying on the expedition but the crew carried on and eventually made it back to Mexico. Cabrillo NM was established in 1913 in honor of Cabrillo's expedition.