Mormon Battalion Historic Site

The Mormon Battalion Historic Site is a historic site in Old Town, San Diego, California, 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, and they participated in civic improvement projects.[2] In the 1960s, the LDS Church opened a visitor center to commemorate their historical ties to San Diego.[3] A new visitor center was dedicated on January 30, 2010.[4][5][6]

Mormon Battalion Historic Site
General information
Town or citySan Diego, California
CountryUnited States
Coordinates32°45′15.09″N 117°11′38.47″W
OwnerThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

History

In 1846, in response to a call for midwesterners to bolster the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War, a group comprised 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.[7] 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.[8]

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. "Summer Travel Series: Mormon Battalion Historic Site". Newsroom. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. July 20, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  4. "Mormon Battalion Historic Site, San Diego, CA". Mormon Historic Sites Foundation. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  5. Haddock, Sharon (November 6, 2010). "Recognizing ancestors at Mormon Battalion museum". Deseret News. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  6. Lloyd, R. Scott (August 21, 2010). "Elder Ballard dedicates Mormon Battalion plaza". Deseret News. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  7. 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.
  8. "First San Diego Courthouse". California Department of Parks and Recreation. March 22, 2023. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
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