Early pilots often navigated by following railroad tracks and recognizing natural landmarks from high above.
Soon flying “by instruments” became necessary, but airline passengers have continued to mark their locations on the map with high-altitude sightings of the Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes and New York skyline.
Here in Orange County there are a number of natural and man-made landmarks which not only reveal our history, but tell us where we are and which way is west.
Some landmarks, which were well-known to the Native Americans and which also became guideposts for the early European explorers, are numerous creeks (wet or dry) such as the San Juan, Oso, Salt and Aliso creeks, and the beach outlets they created along our shoreline. Other landmarks include Laguna Canyon and the series of lagoons it contains; Niguel Hill, which at 938 feet is the highest point above the coastline; Red Hill, a high inland navigation point; and the two peaks of Saddleback Mountain (Santiago Peak is 5,687 feet), which looks over our hills and valleys, acting as an ever-present compass.
A few large, manmade landmarks also reveal something of our history: the long-standing San Juan Capistrano Mission, the WWII dirigible hangars in Tustin, and the Federal building, or “Ziggurat,” in Laguna Niguel.
More recent manmade additions to our list include the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, our iconic piers such as those in San Clemente, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach, and the giant orange balloon offering rides above the Great Park in Irvine.
So while GPS may be a valuable guide as we wander about, nothing matches the landmarks of history that show us old and new pathways of adventure and discovery.
– Laguna Niguel residents and local historians Donald and Mary Decker co-authored eight books, including the city history, “Laguna Niguel: Honoring the Past, Fulfilling the Present.” Contact the writers: email@example.com.