In 1835, Richard Henry Dana Jr. arrived aboard the brig Pilgrim, a tall-masted sailing ship out of Boston bound for the California coast, after leaving his studies at Harvard for reasons of health and signing on at age 19 as a common sailor. He later vividly described life at sea and ashore in his famous book, Two Years Before the Mast (1840). The Pilgrim anchored in this small harbor to trade for valuable hides from local cattle ranchos for shore factories in Massachusetts, and several oxcart loads of hides were brought to the cliffs, where, as Dana recalled, 'Down this height we pitched the hides, throwing them as far out into the air as we could...' so they landed on the beach for loading onto the Pilgrim. Struck by the beauty of the terrain with its dramatic cliffs and promontory, he called the cove 'the only romantic spot' on the coast. After completing his law degree at Harvard, Dana went on to a distinguished career in maritime and international law. In 1884, Dana Point was named in his honor, in memory of his brief visits and enthusiastic description of this beautiful place.
