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Politics

Cabrillo National Monument's 100th Birthday Party Shut Down

A statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo stands at the Cabrillo National Monument, near where Cabrillo became the first European to set foot on San Diego's shores.
Katie Schoolov
A statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo stands at the Cabrillo National Monument, near where Cabrillo became the first European to set foot on San Diego's shores.

A ceremony to mark the 100th birthday of the Cabrillo National Monument was set to take place Monday night, but instead it has been canceled due to the partial shutdown of the federal government.

The four-day-long celebration, originally scheduled to start last Friday, would have commemorated the Oct. 14, 1913 proclamation by President Wilson calling for “a heroic statue of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo” at the Point Loma site.

Centennial events included a lighthouse open tour, art show, pre-1915 car show, ranger-guided walks and a nighttime gala, “Cabrillo Lights Up The Night.”

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In addition to the monument, which commemorates Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s September 1542 landing at San Diego Bay, the national park also features a 19th century lighthouse, museum and World War II bunkers.

The park welcomes 800,000 visitors each year. It will remain closed and its workers will continue to be furloughed until the government reopens.