View of the Morro Rock in San Luis Obispo County, California, 1900-1930

Photograph of a view of the Morro Rock in San Luis Obispo County, California, 1900-1930. The 576 feet rock has an almost semi-circular shape. The setting sun casts a linear reflection in the water. Several sailboats wade in the water near the foreground. Waves are making its way to the shores towards the right.; "Morro Rock, at 576 feet, is the northern most visible member of the Nine Sisters. It is probably the most photographed of all the Morros, and provides a unique outcropping to the entrance of Morro Bay. Morro Rock has been an important mariner's navigational landfall for over 300 years. It was chronicled in the diaries of Portola, Fr. Creaspi and Costanso in 1769 when they camped near this area on their trek to find Monterey. Sometimes called the Gibraltar of the Pacific, it is the last in the famous chain of nine peaks, which extends from the City of San Luis Obispo. Morro Rock was first sighted in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who named it "El Morro". In Spanish "Morro" means crown shaped hill. The rock itself was mined on and off until 1963. Morro Rock provided material for the breakwater of Morro Bay and Port San Luis Harbor. In 1966 a bill was introduced which transferred the full title to the State of California. Later the San Luis Obispo County Historical Society and the City of Morro Bay succeeded in getting the Morro Rock declared as California Registered Historical Landmark #821. Morro Rock also became State Landmark #801 in 1968. The rock has since been designated a bird sanctuary for the Peregrine Falcon and other bird species." -- Gary Felsman, ca.2000