San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park honors the soldiers who fought in the 1846

Battle of San Pasqual The Battle of San Pasqual, also spelled San Pascual, was a military encounter that occurred during the Mexican–American War in what is now the San Pasqual Valley, San Diego, California, San Pasqual Valley community in the county of San Diego, ...

, the bloodiest battle in California during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. The battle was fought between United States troops under the command of General Stephen Kearny, and the Californio forces under the command of General Andres Pico on December 6, 1846. The

Native Sons of the Golden West The Native Sons of the Golden West (NSGW) is a fraternity, fraternal service organization founded in the U.S. state of California in 1875, dedicated to historic preservation and documentation of the state's historic structures and places, the pla ...

were instrumental in raising money, preserving and ultimately creating the park which was then given to the state of

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It is now a California State Park as well as a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

. The park is next to the

San Diego Zoo Safari Park The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is a zoo and safari park in Escondido, California, Escondido, a suburb of the city of San Diego, California, located in San Pasqual Valley, San Diego, San Pasqual Valley. Opened in 1972, the park operates as a sis ...

, at San Pasqual Valley Road, south of

Escondido, California Escondido (Spanish language, Spanish for "Hidden") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. Located in the North County (San Diego area), North County region, it was incorporated in 1888, and is one of the oldest cities in San ...

, on Highway 78 in

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

. The park is open only on weekends, and features a visitor center with displays about the cultural history of the San Pasqual Valley, exhibits, and a movie about the battle.http://www.ci.escondido.ca.us/glance/uniquely/battlefield/index.html City of Escondido Living history presentations are held at the park, with volunteers from the San Pasqual Battlefield Volunteer Association.

References

External links

San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park
– official site
San Pasqual Battlefield Volunteer Association
California State Historic Parks Battles of the Conquest of California Military and war museums in California Museums in San Diego County, California Parks in San Diego County, California History museums in California {{SanDiegoCountyCA-geo-stub