Adelup Point ( Chamoru: ''Punta Adilok'') is

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the s ...

in Hagåtña,

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

that extends into the

Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a List of seas#Marginal seas by ocean, marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean east of the list of islands of the Philippines, Philippine Archipelago (hence the name) and the List of seas#Largest seas ...

and separates

Asan Bay Asan Bay is a South Korean bay in the Yellow Sea. Named after the city of Asan immediately to its south, it lies at the mouth of several rivers and separates the provinces of Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheongnam-do South Chungcheong Province (), info ...

from Hagåtña Bay. It has been the site of the Ricardo J. Bordallo Governor's Complex since 1990. Adelup is therefore a

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "wikt:suit, suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such ...

for the Office of the

Governor of Guam The governor of Guam ( / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territory) addresses to t ...

Geology

Adelup Point is composed of Mariana limestone, specifically

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

reef facies. Qtmr reef

facies In geology, a facies ( , ; same pronunciation and spelling in the plural) is a body of rock with distinctive characteristics. The characteristics can be any observable attribute of rocks (such as their overall appearance, composition, or con ...

are "massive, generally compact, porous, and cavernous white

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition (geol ...

origin, especially along cliff faces, made up mostly of corals in position of growth in matrix of encrusting calcareous algae." The coastline to the east and west comprises deposits of beach

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

and

gravel Gravel () is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally on Earth as a result of sedimentation, sedimentary and erosion, erosive geological processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gr ...

. East of the promontory is the mouth of the

Fonte River The Fonte River is a river in the United States territory of Guam. The NRHP-listed Fonte River Dam is located in its upper reaches, south of Nimitz Hill Annex. See also *List of rivers of Guam This is a list of rivers in Guam, a (U.S. territory ...

, located in the residential district of Anigua.

History

Prior to the Japanese invasion of Guam in 1941, the highest point on Adelup was the location of the "Atkins-Kroll house". Atkins, Kroll, and Co. was a

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

-based trading company. Atkins-Kroll was a major exporter of

copra Copra (from ; ; ; ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted ...

from Guam. After the invasion, the Atkins-Kroll house was used by the Japanese military commander for recreation. During the

Japanese occupation of Guam The Japanese occupation of Guam was the period in the history of Guam between 1941 and 1944 when Imperial Japanese forces occupied Guam during World War II. The island was renamed Ōmiya-Jima ('Great Shrine Island'). Events leading to the occ ...

from 1941 to 1944, Adelup Point was extensively fortified by the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

, including with a battery of coastal guns. Adelup Point was the eastern edge of the

Asan Invasion Beach The Asan Invasion Beach is a historic site in the village of Asan, Guam. The beaches of Asan were one of the landing sites of American forces in the 1944 Battle of Guam (1944), Battle of Guam, in which the island was retaken from occupying Japane ...

used by U.S. forces as the northern invasion beach on July 21, 1944 that began the Liberation of Guam. The site of fierce fighting, the promontory was captured by the end of the invasion day. There are seven

pillbox Pillbox may refer to: * Pill organizer, a container for medicine * Pillbox hat, a woman's hat with a flat crown, straight upright sides, and no brim * Pillbox (military) A pillbox is a type of blockhouse, or concrete dug-in guard-post, often ...

es, caves, and other Japanese defensive works identified on Adelup. One work was dug under the large concrete foundation of the Atkins-Kroll House. During the battle, it became an American command post. In early 1945, the headquarters of the 5th Naval Construction Brigade under Commodore William O. Hiltabidle was located at Adelup. Later, a

military officers' club An officers' club, known within the military as an O club, is an establishment similar to a gentlemen's club for commissioned officers of the armed forces. Few officers' clubs have survived the end of the Cold War. Origins Officers' clubs are ...

was established at Adelup, apparently on the Atkins-Kroll building foundation. For a period in the 1960s into the 1970s, Adelup Elementary School provided schooling for grades 1-6. In 1978,

War in the Pacific National Historical Park The War in the Pacific National Historical Park is a multi-unit protected area in the United States territory of Guam, which was established in 1978 in honor of those who participated in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Uniquely among the Na ...

was established. The western shore and tip of Adelup Point fall within the Park. Adelup was once part of Asan-Maina before being annexed into Hagåtña so that Hagåtña remains the seat of the

Government of Guam The Government of Guam (GovGuam) is a presidential representative democratic system, whereby the president is the head of state and the governor is head of government, and of a multi-party system. Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory ...

. In 1994, the

Guam Museum The Guam Museum, formally the Senator Antonio M. Palomo Guam Museum & Chamorro Educational Facility, is a museum focusing on the History of Guam, history of Guam, a U.S. territory in Micronesia. A permanent building to house the museum's collectio ...

, which had not had a permanent home since its previous building was destroyed during the American liberation of Guam, opened an exhibition hall at Adelup. It operated here until 2002, when it was damaged by

Typhoon Chataan Typhoon Chataan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Gloria, was the deadliest natural disaster in the history of Chuuk State, Chuuk, a state in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The typhoon formed on June 28, 2002, near the FSM ...

and

Typhoon Pongsona Typhoon Pongsona was the last typhoon of the 2002 Pacific typhoon season, and was the second costliest United States disaster in 2002, only behind Hurricane Lili. The name "Pongsona" was contributed by North Korea for the Pacific tropical cyclon ...

, and forced to close. In March 2010, the -tall Latte of Freedom of opened at Adelup as a viewing platform over the adjacent waters. Though greatly changed from its original concept, it is meant to embody the strength of CHamoru culture with the shape of the

latte stone A latte stone, or simply latte (also latde, latti, or latdi), is a Column, pillar () capped by a Sphere, hemispherical stone capital (architecture), capital () with the flat side facing up. Used as building supports by the ancient Chamorro peopl ...

. The Latte of Freedom is located next to the site of the old Guam Museum, which was converted into a Hall of Governors facility, commemorating the governors since the signing of the

Guam Organic Act of 1950 The Guam Organic Act of 1950, ( ''et seq.'', ) is a United States federal law that redesignated the island of Guam as an unincorporated territory of the United States, established executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and transferred ...

Features

Besides the offices of the Governor and some government agencies, variously WWII-related fortifications, the Latte of Freedom, and the Hall of Governors, Adelup also contains: * a WWII-era Japanese

Type 10 120 mm AA gun The Type 10 or 12 cm/45 10th Year Type naval gun was a Japanese 120 mm calibre dual purpose anti-aircraft and coastal defense gun used during the Second World War. It was derived from the 12 cm/45 3rd Year Type naval gun. The Type 10 ...

used for coastal defense, with nearby small

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

and

torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

gate in promotion of peace * bronze statues erected in 1994 of two Chamorro scouts leading U.S. Marines after their landing on Guam * a grassy field used for sports and occasional military helicopter training by the

Guam Army National Guard The Guam National Guard is a federally funded military force, part of the National Guard of the United States. Guam Army National Guard (GU ARNG) is the Army National Guard of Guam which, together with the Guam Air National Guard, comprises the ...

* a memorial monument for the crew lost in the 2008 B-52 crash off the coast of Guam * a 2018 replica of ''

The Lone Sailor ''The Lone Sailor'', a 1987 bronze sculpture, is a tribute to all the personnel of the sea services. The sculpture was created by Stanley Bleifeld, for the United States Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. History Rear Admiral William Thompson w ...

'', sponsored by the

United States Navy Memorial The United States Navy Memorial is a memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring those who have served or are currently serving in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marine. It lies on Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 7th Street No ...

, in commemoration of the role of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard in

Operation New Life Operation New Life (23 April – 1 November 1975) was the care and processing on Guam of Vietnamese refugees evacuated before and after the Fall of Saigon, the closing day of the Vietnam War. More than 111,000 of the evacuated 130,000 Vietname ...

, the care and processing of about 110,000

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

ese refugees following the

Fall of Saigon The fall of Saigon, known in Vietnam as Reunification Day (), was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam on 30 April 1975. As part of the 1975 spring offensive, this decisive event led to the collapse of the So ...

in 1975. The statue looks north towards

Ritidian Point The Guam National Wildlife Refuge is composed of three units: the Andersen Air Force Base Overlay Unit (Air Force Overlay Unit), the Navy Overlay Unit, and the Ritidian Unit. The Ritidian Unit ( CHamoru: ''Puntan Litekyan'') is on the northernmo ...

, is located next to a large replica of the

Seal of Guam The seal of Guam appears in the middle of the flag of the United States territory of Guam. It depicts Agaña Bay near Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, a local proa and a coconut tree. Charles Alan Pownall approved the seal in 1946. It depicts a coconu ...

and is surrounded by 19 benches representing the

Villages of Guam A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban villa ...

. * Adelup is the start point for the annual

Liberation Day Liberation Day is a day, often a public holiday, that marks the liberation of a place, similar to an independence day, but differing from it because it does not involve the original creation of statehood. It commemorates the end of an occupation ...

Parade

References

{{Hagåtña, Guam Hagåtña, Guam Headlands of Guam Promontories