Mormon Battalion Historic Site
Former namesSan Diego Visitors Center,
Mormon Battalion Memorial Visitors Center
General information
Address2510 Juan St.
Town or citySan Diego, California
CountryUnited States
Coordinates32°45′15.09″N 117°11′38.47″W / 32.7541917°N 117.1940194°W / 32.7541917; -117.1940194
InauguratedNovember 3, 1972
RenovatedJune 2008–January 2010
OwnerThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Website
Mormon Battalion Historic Site at San Diego

The Mormon Battalion Historic Site is a historic site in Old Town, San Diego, California, built in honor of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who served in the United States Army's Mormon Battalion during the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848.[1] The battalion was stationed in Old Town in 1847, during which they participated in many civic improvement projects.[2]

History

The original visitors' center was dedicated by the church's president, Harold B. Lee, on November 3, 1972, and opened to the public on November 6.[3][4] In June 2008, the center was closed, and a new center, constructed with some existing elements, was built on the footprint of the original. The new center was opened to the public on January 30, 2010[5][6] and dedicated by church apostle Jeffrey R. Holland on March 26, 2010.[7]

The Mormon Battalion

In 1846, in response to a call for midwesterners to bolster the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War, a group composed largely of Mormons formed the Mormon Battalion. In July of that year, 496 men, 36 women and 43 children left Council Bluffs, Iowa, to assist the war efforts in California. The ensuing six-month, 2,000 mile journey was one of the longest marches in U.S. history. 27 of the group members died due to illness and accidents. Most of the remaining women and children stayed in Pueblo, Colorado. 335 men and four women continued on to San Diego, under the command of Lt. Philip St. George Cooke.

The battalion arrived in San Diego on January 29, 1847. By this time, fighting had ended. Left without their original purpose, the members of the battalion instead found work in helping to secure San Diego. They engaged in such pursuits as building a bakery, digging wells, blacksmithing, cart repair, whitewashing existing buildings, and brickmaking.[8] They also built the first fired-brick structure in San Diego on the town plaza, facing San Diego Avenue. The building was originally designed to be a town hall, and it later became the first courthouse in San Diego.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Mormon Battalion Historic Site". The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  2. ↑ Rowe, Peter (January 24, 2018). "Why San Diego feared, then welcomed, the Mormon Battalion". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  3. ↑ "President Lee To Dedicate Visitors Center in San Diego: Center Honors Mormon Battalion Men". Church News. October 28, 1972. p. 10. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  4. ↑ Heslop, J M. (November 11, 1972). "Visitors Center Dedicated At San Diego Site". Church News. p. 3. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  5. ↑ Stahle, Shaun D. (February 6, 2010). "Monumental story". Church News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2023.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ↑ "New Mormon Battalion Historic Site Opens" (Press release). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. February 2, 2010. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2023.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ↑ "Church Dedicates Mormon Battalion Historic Site" (Press release). The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. March 27, 2010. Archived from the original on March 31, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2023.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ↑ Rowe, Peter (January 24, 2018). "Why San Diego feared, then welcomed the Mormon Battalion". The San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  9. ↑ "First San Diego Courthouse". California Department of Parks and Recreation. March 22, 2023. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
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