Historical Marker · No. 291
Fages-Zalvidea Crossing
Mettler, Kern County · California
Erected by Bakersfield Parlor No. 42 N.S.G.W., El Tejon Parlor No. 239 N.D.G.W., the Kern County Historical Society, and the Kern County Chamber of Commerce, 1941
Two crossings, thirty-four years apart, on one plaque. Fages came through in 1772 between San Diego and San Luis Obispo; Zalvidea came in 1806 as diarist to Lieutenant Francisco Ruiz, whose party had been sent to look for mission sites, and who spent that July and August working east out of Santa Barbara. The bronze calls Fages the first recorded white man to visit the southern San Joaquin Valley. The register, printing the same sentence, has quietly changed the phrase to first recorded non-Indian.
What the plaque says
California Historical Landmark Fages-Zalvidea Trails In 1772 Don Pedro Fages, first recorded white man to visit the southern San Joaquin Valley, crossed this spot on his way from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. Near this point crossed Father Jose Maria de Zalvidea in 1806, while accompanying the Ruiz expedition in search of mission sites. Dedicated April 6, 1941 Bakersfield Parlor No 42 N.S.G.W. El Tejon Parlor No 239 N.D.G.W. Kern County Historical Society Kern County Chamber of Commerce Department of Natural Resources Reg. No 291 State of California
Where it stands
35.05923, -119.06658 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Sinks of the Tejón — 8.9 mi
- Rose Station — 11 mi
- Sebastian Indian Reservation — 11 mi
- Kern River Slough Station — 15 mi