MONUMENT TO 1846 MARCH DEDICATED 100 YEARS AGO

In 1846, Gen. Stephen Watts Kearny's “Army of the West” reached Old Town San Diego after marching 1,912 miles from Fort Leavenworth in Kansas to help bring New Mexico and California under American rule. In 1920, a monument to the long march was established in Old Town.

From The San Diego Union, Monday, Dec. 13, 1920:

UNVEIL BRONZE TABLET MARKING END OF KEARNY TRAIL AT OLD TOWN

RECALLING that dismal, rainy day in December, 74 years ago when Gen. Stephen W. Kearny, at the head of a few travelworn soldiers carrying their sick and wounded with them, arrived after an epochal march from Santa Fe, N.M., a bronze tablet marking the end of the Kearny trail was unveiled on the plaza at Old Town yesterday.

Cool, but with the sun brilliant overhead, the weather was in marked contrast to that stormy Dec. 12, 1846, when the pioneer soldier arrived at Old Town, where he was met by Commodore Stockton, then in possession of San Diego. On the spot where these two leaders, the one of the naval forces and the other representing the army met, the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution arranged a program to dedicate the tablet and monument.

When the American flag was raised from the monument to the top of a small flagstaff and the commemorative tablet exposed to view, something of the spirit of that intrepid explorer and soldier communicated itself to the spectators. Army and navy officers of the present had spoken of the deeds of the service in the past, particularly of those whose scenes were laid in and around San Diego. members of the D.A.R. had told something of the movement on foot to perpetuate such historical spots by suitable monuments. A member of the clergy ad invoked divine aid, asking that the spirit which led Gen. Kearny across 2000 miles of practically untraveled territory be not lost but revive and grow stronger.

FOUNDER’S WIDOW SPEAKS And then Lydia M. Horton, widow of A.E. Horton, founder of San Diego, gave some of her reminiscences of Old Town as she knew it a few years after Kearny came and of her remembrances of some of the men that formed Kearny's little army.

Rev. W.E. Crabtree opened the program with the invocation, after the Filipino band, furnished by Capt. Pratt of the destroyer force, had rendered a few selections.

Mrs. D.J. La Mar, regent of the local chapter of the D.A.R., made the opening remarks and then Mrs. W.A. Laidlaw, past regent and chairman of the day's celebration, took charge.

The first speaker introduced was Col. Edward Landon, commanding officer at Fort Rosecrans. Col. Landon gave a history of Gen. Kearny's achievement, his subject being, “Gen. Stephen W. Kearny, the Pioneer Soldier.”

“Gen. Kearny was in command of the first regiment of dragoons at Leavenworth when he got orders to organize an expedition to establish civil government in New Mexico and California. On his march from Leavenworth to Santa Fe he had in his “army of the west,” about 300 dragoons and 500 infantry. The distance to Santa Fe was 911 miles and Kearny traveled about 20 miles a day.

“On his march from Santa Fe to San Diego he made about 16 miles a day in the 63 marches which covered the 1005 miles of practically unbroken wilderness.”