March 2-3 & 9-10 mark the 48th year of the Festival of Whales!  As usual, our Society will have our outreach booth available all four days.  This is always a lot of fun for our members and volunteers — greeting people attending the various events and informing them of our mission while also promoting our merchandise such as T-shirts, caps, books and historic photos. We will also have membership forms available to encourage new...

Our meeting on February 27 will highlight the life of Hippolyte Bouchard, a French Argentine sailor and corsair who fought for Argentina, Chile and Peru. Michael Melzer, pictured left, author of The Patriot Pirate, will be on hand to discuss this fascinating figure from Dana Point’s past.  In 1818, Bouchard’s forces occupied Monterey, California, then a Spanish colony, raised the Argentine flag and held the town for six days. After raiding...

The Dana Point Historical Society will hold its annual meeting and potluck dinner on Wednesday, January 23, at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Bankson Hall (rear of property) at Stonehill Drive and Ocean Hill Drive. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. A reception starts the evening, followed by a potluck dinner at approximately 6:30 p.m. Opening comments and approval of the 2019 slate of incumbent officers and appointed board members will begin at 7:15 p.m. ...

We also invite individuals who would like to join the Society and are interested in our historical preservation and outreach. Please join us and introduce yourself to a board member, who will be wearing name tags.

The San Juan Capistrano Historical Society and the Dana Point Historical Society invite the public to join in marking the 200th anniversary of the Raid on San Juan Capistrano by Argentinian patriot and alleged “pirate” Hipólito Bouchard (below) in 1818.  On Saturday, November 3, a group of Living History “pirates” will recreate the historic walk from Dana Point to San Juan Capistrano to “sack” the town. The walk...

Our annual field trip on Thursday, November 8, will be a visit to cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg’s West Coast retreat, an 8,777 square-foot house built in 1926 at a cost of $150,000.  The home sits on the northern edge of the Cal Poly Pomona campus. The Kellogg ranch became well known in Southern California for its horse exhibitions and breeding program.  It was also a venue for the Kelloggs to entertain assorted Hollywood celebrities and to...