Historical Marker · No. 167
La Mesa Battlefield
Vernon, Los Angeles County · California
Erected by California Dept of Parks and Rec, City of Vernon, and Native Sons of the Golden West, 2018
The last fight of the war in California was over in an afternoon. José María Flores had about three hundred men on horseback carrying lances; the Americans came on foot with rifles and a battery that drove the Californio guns out of range inside a quarter of an hour. The lancers struck the left flank, were turned back, and most of Flores's force melted away. He left for Mexico. Castro had camped on this mesa in 1846, and the 1926 monument was paid for by the Union Pacific and the stockyards then on the ground.
What the plaque says
On this site was fought La Batalla de La Mesa - Battle of La Mesa - January 9th, 1847 - Commodore Robert Field Stockton U.S.N. in command of American forces and General Jose Maria Flores commanding the Californians. Sketch of the Battle of Los Angeles fought between the Americans and Mexicans - Jan. 9, 1847. Copy of map in U.S. official records made by Lieut. Emory who was engaged in this battle. During the United States occupation of California during the Mexican-American War, La Mesa served as a campsite for the Californio forces under General Castro in the summer of 1846. The last military encounter on the California front was fought here on January 9, 1847. Also known as the Battle of Los Angeles.
Where it stands
34.00497, -118.23060 · Directions
Worth the stop nearby
- Mission San Gabriel Arcangel — 9.5 miThe fourth Alta California mission, built on Tongva land with Tongva labor, rebuilt after arson and now telling that story straight.
- Colorado Street Bridge — 10 miBeaux-Arts concrete arches curving 150 feet above the Arroyo Seco, opened in 1913 and later a link in Route 66.
- Santa Monica Pier — 15 miWhere the Mother Road runs out of continent, and where the End of the Trail sign gives the drive somewhere to finish.