Trinidad Head
Promontory
Trinidad Head is located in California
Trinidad Head
Trinidad Head
Location within California
Coordinates: 41°03′16″N 124°09′03″W / 41.054308°N 124.150914°W / 41.054308; -124.150914
LocationTrinidad, California
Offshore water bodiesPacific Ocean
OperatorCity of Trinidad, Bureau of Land Management
Reference no.146
DesignatedJanuary 12, 2017
Unit of the California Coastal National MonumentBy President Barack Obama[1]
Only a narrow spit connects Trinidad Head (upper right) to the mainland

Trinidad Head (Yurok: Chuerewa' [2]) is a rocky promontory surrounded by sea stacks sheltering Trinidad Harbor, adjacent to the town of Trinidad in Humboldt County, California, USA, designated as California Historical Landmark #146.[3]

History

On June 9, 1775, two Spanish Naval explorers, Bruno de Heceta and Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra anchored in Trinidad Bay. Two days later, on Trinity Sunday, June 11, 1775,[4] Trinidad Head was claimed for Spain in the name of Charles III by Heceta, his men and two Franciscan fathers who erected a cross on the summit. When Sebastian Rodriguez Cermeno, Captain of the Portuguese ship "San Augustin," discovered and entered the Trinidad Bay in November 1595, he did not anchor for fear of hitting submerged rocks.[5] Over the next 75 years, Spanish, Russian and British ships landed at Trinidad Head for sea otters, fresh water and refuge from storms.[6]

The harbor and Trinidad Head were mapped as part of A.D. Bache's United States Coast Survey under the direction of Lieutenant Commander William P. McArthur.[7]

Much of Trinidad Head was transferred to the city of Trinidad in 1983. The 46 acres (19 ha) came with the condition that the property be maintained for public recreation. The southerly 13 acres (5.3 ha) of the promontory containing the lighthouse are owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2014.[8] In January 2017, Congress added Trinidad Head to the onshore acres of the California Coastal National Monument.[1] President Barack Obama used his executive power under the 1906 Antiquities Act to designate this site as a unit of the National Monument.[9]

Geology

Trinidad Head is composed of metamorphosed gabbro embedded in the surrounding Franciscan melange, topped with Pleistocene sands and gravels.[10]

Observatories

Management

The BLM manages the facility cooperatively with the City of Trinidad, the Trinidad Rancheria, the Trinidad Museum Society and the Yurok Tribe.[9] Hiking trails were established by the city in 1984.[8]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trinidad Head.
  1. 1 2 "Presidential Proclamation -- Boundary Enlargement of the California Coastal National Monument". Obamawhitehouse.archives.ogov. January 12, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Yurok Dictionary: Chuerewa'". Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Trinidad Head". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  4. ↑ Tovell, Freeman M. (2008). At the Far Reaches of Empire: The Life of Juan Francisco De La Bodega Y Quadra. University of British Columbia Press. pp. 22–23. ISBN 978-0-7748-1367-9.
  5. ↑ Turner, Dennis & Gloria (2010). Place Names of Humboldt County, California (2nd ed.). Humboldt Room, HSU: Dennis W. & Gloria H. Turner. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-9629617-2-4.
  6. ↑ Trinidad Gateway Brochure (PDF). Arcata Field Office: Bureau of Land Management. p. 5. Retrieved April 22, 2011. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  7. ↑ Bache, Alexander Dallas (1851). Reconnaissance of Trinidad Bay California-Chart with soundings, coastline & settlements; includes View of Trinidad Head and City. Washington, DC: U.S. Coast Survey. p. 1.
  8. 1 2 Faulkner, Jessie (April 11, 2015). "Feds seek input on managing Trinidad Head lighthouse". Times-Standard. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Boxall, Bettina (January 12, 2017). "Obama adds six sites to California Coastal National Monument". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 1, 2017.
  10. ↑ Trinidad Beach Field Trip. Arcata, California: Humboldt State University. 2009. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  11. ↑ "Trinidad Station". Advanced Global Atmospheric Gases Experiment. NASA. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Trinidad Head Observatory". Earth System Research Laboratory, Global Monitoring Division. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
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