 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
View from a State Park BenchWhenever I get a few minutes to myself and take a breather while at the Museum of Natural History at Morro Bay State Park, I take the "road less traveled" to the south of the museum. About half way around is a park bench on the path. It's one of the most beautiful and restful vistas I have ever seen. Above me on White Point are Chumash Grinding Holes (some view from the kitchen!). This time of year, there are usually Black-crowned Night Herons hanging out in the trees. From my usually sunny spot, I can see over to Montana de Oro State Park, the estuary, the sandspit and the marina. If I'm lucky, there will be a school group led by our intrepid docents wading in the salt flats, otters swimming around a sail boat, and if I am very, very lucky, I will witness a feeding frenzy of hundreds of pelicans and porpoising sea lions. I always wonder how many of our museum visitors ever see this vista, let alone take time to sit on the weathered bench and just be. I did hear one story of a visitor who was extremely impressed with White's Point. The story goes that he went into the museum and asked to see the person in charge. "How much?" he asked the Museum Director. Now, by this time, the confusion cleared and the Director was more than a So instead of some fabulously rich person having the "view from the kitchen" all to himself, who did I have to thank that I, a simple California citizen, can enjoy this vista and have a museum of natural history? I turned to Morro Bay Yesterday's: Vignettes of our City's Lives & Times by Dorothy Gates and Jane Bailey. The land around the point where the golf course is located was, at one time, farmed by Frederick White who grew grain and was one of the early county supervisors. Then it was decided to develop the area to include a nine-hole golf course and the spectacular Cabrillo Country Clubhouse. The clubhouse was located where the current parking lot for the museum now stands. It opened in 1929. As you might have guessed, the ensuing depression didn't do the developers any favors. In 1928, California voters approved a six million dollar bond issue to be used to buy land for state parks. In 1934, after much lobbying by locals and residents of the San Joaquin Valley who came to Morro Bay to escape the heat, State Parks acquired White Point, Black Hill, and the golf course for $250,000, creating Morro Bay State Park. Thank you past generations of Californians, and past generations of people of visitors and locals alike, who recognized what a special place this is. I'm going to sit here for a while and see how many Black Crowned Night Herons I can find in the trees… Upcoming EventsDecember 5 - Holiday Open House at the Museum store, featuring 20% discounts and new merchandise lines. The week between Christmas and New Years is called "Holding Hands With Nature." There are events designed for families every day.
More events may be added. For more information and program details, please call the Museum at 805-772-2694, ext. 0. |
|---|
