provided by
Fort Tejon is located in the Grapevine Canyon, the main route between California's great central valley and Southern California. The fort was established to protect and control the Indians who were living on the Sebastian Indian Reservation, and to protect both the Indians and white settlers from raids by the Paiutes, Chemeheui, Mojave, and other Indian groups of the desert regions to the south east. Fort Tejon was first garrisoned by the United States Army on August 10, 1854 and was abandoned ten years later on September 11, 1864.
There are restored adobes from the original fort and the park's museum features exhibits on army life and local history. The park also has a number of beautiful 400 year-old valley oak trees.
Getting There
Fort Tejon, at an elevation of over 3,500 feet, is situated in the rugged Tehachapi Mountains near Tejon Pass on I-5.
The park is 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles, near the top of Grapevine Canyon, via the Fort Tejon exit off I-5.
Fort Tejon, at an elevation of over 3,500 feet, is situated in the rugged Tehachapi Mountains near Tejon Pass on I-5.
The park is 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles, near the top of Grapevine Canyon, via the Fort Tejon exit off I-5.
Seasons/Climate/Recommended Clothing
Due to the semi-aridity of this region, summer temperatures are often in the high 80s and low 90s, sometimes reaching into the 100s. Winter temperatures can get down to freezing, with the possibility of snow. Grapevine Canyon is known for occasional strong winds.
Layered clothing is recommended.
Due to the semi-aridity of this region, summer temperatures are often in the high 80s and low 90s, sometimes reaching into the 100s. Winter temperatures can get down to freezing, with the possibility of snow. Grapevine Canyon is known for occasional strong winds.
Layered clothing is recommended.
Operating Hours & Contact
Please call the park for operating hours.
Telephone: 661-248-6692
Please call the park for operating hours.
Telephone: 661-248-6692
Natural History
The plant and animal life to be found here is unique due to the park’s geographical location at the confluence of several ecological regions, including the Mojave Desert, the Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada, and southern California. The park’s natural vegetation is dominated by oak woodlands, which provide forage and shelter for a variety of wildlife, including the California condor. Look for scrub jays, as well as red-shafted flickers and other woodpeckers, who feed on the acorns. The presence of a year-round creek in an otherwise arid climate also serves to attract many animals to the park, and the riparian woodland and freshwater marsh along Grapevine Creek are home to myriad birds and reptiles.
Almost all of the mammals found in the area, which include blacktailed deer, blacktailed hare, Beechey ground squirrels, bobcats, badgers, and opossum, frequent these wetlands during the summer for water. The park’s meadows and grasslands are home to insects, seed-eating birds, and small mammals. As a result, they are also fertile hunting grounds for raptors, coyotes, and gray foxes. The land the park sits on is highly active geologically. This area experienced one of the greatest earthquakes ever recorded in the U.S. In 1857 an earthquake of approximately 7.9 to 8.2 magnitude struck here along the San Andreas Fault, leaving an amazing surface rupture scar over 220 miles long.
The plant and animal life to be found here is unique due to the park’s geographical location at the confluence of several ecological regions, including the Mojave Desert, the Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada, and southern California. The park’s natural vegetation is dominated by oak woodlands, which provide forage and shelter for a variety of wildlife, including the California condor. Look for scrub jays, as well as red-shafted flickers and other woodpeckers, who feed on the acorns. The presence of a year-round creek in an otherwise arid climate also serves to attract many animals to the park, and the riparian woodland and freshwater marsh along Grapevine Creek are home to myriad birds and reptiles.
Almost all of the mammals found in the area, which include blacktailed deer, blacktailed hare, Beechey ground squirrels, bobcats, badgers, and opossum, frequent these wetlands during the summer for water. The park’s meadows and grasslands are home to insects, seed-eating birds, and small mammals. As a result, they are also fertile hunting grounds for raptors, coyotes, and gray foxes. The land the park sits on is highly active geologically. This area experienced one of the greatest earthquakes ever recorded in the U.S. In 1857 an earthquake of approximately 7.9 to 8.2 magnitude struck here along the San Andreas Fault, leaving an amazing surface rupture scar over 220 miles long.
Park News Alert
Reduction in Operation Hours
The Park is open 9am to 4pm daily until further notice.
Reduction in Operation Hours
The Park is open 9am to 4pm daily until further notice.
History
Prior to the establishment of Fort Tejon, the Emigdiano Indians called this area home. An inland group of the coastal Chumash people, the Emigdiano lived in a large village at the bottom of Grapevine Canyon and had one village, Sausu, along Castac Lake. Unlike the coastal groups, they had little contact with European explorers and settlers before the mid-1800s.
The gold discovery drew thousands of people to California in the 1850s, bringing about confrontations between the Indians, miners and the land-hungry settlers. The U.S. government tried to mitigate the situation by establishing reservations, including, in 1853, the Sebastian Indian Reservation at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley.
In July 1854 Lieutenant Alfred Latimer and a small detachment of dragoons established a camp at the reservation. However, the new camp lacked water, forage for horses, and timber for construction. That August Major J.L. Donaldson, the Quartermaster, moved the post to the top of Grapevine Canyon, 17 miles southwest of the reservation. This site contained everything necessary to sustain a large military outpost. The First U.S. Dragoons arrived on August 10, 1854, and began construction of more than 40 military buildings. A small civilian community developed just south of the fort to provide supplies and labor to the military. In 1858 the Overland Mail Company established a station in the sutler’s (trader’s) store at the fort.
During the late 1850s, the U.S. Army experimented with camels, hoping to improve transport across the arid west, and some of them were brought to Fort Tejon in 1859 where the Army took charge of them. However, because the animals were in poor condition and expensive to feed, the camel herd was transferred after less than a year to the Los Angeles Quartermaster Depot. There they were used in a failed experiment to cut the expense of messenger service between Los Angeles and Fort Mojave. The animals were then moved to the Benicia Army Arsenal and eventually sold at auction.
For almost ten years, Fort Tejon provided a source of employment, protection, and social activities for local residents. The foremost duties of the Dragoons stationed here were to protect and control the Indians living on the Sebastian Indian Reservation, and to deter raids by the Paiutes, Chemeheuvi, Mojave and other desert Indian groups. The Dragoons’ wide-ranging patrols covered most of central and southern California and sometimes extended as far as Utah.
With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the Dragoons were sent to guard Los Angeles and later transferred east to fight in the war. In the summer of 1862, violence erupted between the encroaching white settlers and the Owens Valley Paiute, who wanted to protect their lands. Three cavalry companies of California Volunteers forcibly moved the Paiute to the Sebastian Indian Reservation, but the authorities there refused to accept responsibility for them. In 1863 several hundred of these Indians were brought to Fort Tejon, which was then being used by the California Volunteers. With little or no food, clothing, or other support, the Indians’ ranks were thinned by disease, starvation, and desertion until the summer of 1864 when they were transferred to the Tule River Indian Reservation. That year the U.S. Army closed Fort Tejon, formally ending its career as an active military post.
Even prior to the closure of Fort Tejon, Edward F. Beale began purchasing land in the area. In 1866 he acquired the former lands of the Sebastian Indian Reservation and the Castac Rancho land grant upon which the fort sat. The fort’s old adobe buildings were then being used as stables, storehouses and residences for ranch workers.
In 1940, through the persuasive efforts of Kern County citizens, the Tejon Ranch Company deeded five acres - the old parade ground, the foundations, and remnants of the original adobe buildings—to the State of California as a state park. Restoration began on the adobe buildings in 1947 and continues to this day. The original barracks building, the reconstructed officers’ quarters and various other structures stand as reminders of Fort Tejon’s military history.
Prior to the establishment of Fort Tejon, the Emigdiano Indians called this area home. An inland group of the coastal Chumash people, the Emigdiano lived in a large village at the bottom of Grapevine Canyon and had one village, Sausu, along Castac Lake. Unlike the coastal groups, they had little contact with European explorers and settlers before the mid-1800s.
The gold discovery drew thousands of people to California in the 1850s, bringing about confrontations between the Indians, miners and the land-hungry settlers. The U.S. government tried to mitigate the situation by establishing reservations, including, in 1853, the Sebastian Indian Reservation at the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley.
In July 1854 Lieutenant Alfred Latimer and a small detachment of dragoons established a camp at the reservation. However, the new camp lacked water, forage for horses, and timber for construction. That August Major J.L. Donaldson, the Quartermaster, moved the post to the top of Grapevine Canyon, 17 miles southwest of the reservation. This site contained everything necessary to sustain a large military outpost. The First U.S. Dragoons arrived on August 10, 1854, and began construction of more than 40 military buildings. A small civilian community developed just south of the fort to provide supplies and labor to the military. In 1858 the Overland Mail Company established a station in the sutler’s (trader’s) store at the fort.
During the late 1850s, the U.S. Army experimented with camels, hoping to improve transport across the arid west, and some of them were brought to Fort Tejon in 1859 where the Army took charge of them. However, because the animals were in poor condition and expensive to feed, the camel herd was transferred after less than a year to the Los Angeles Quartermaster Depot. There they were used in a failed experiment to cut the expense of messenger service between Los Angeles and Fort Mojave. The animals were then moved to the Benicia Army Arsenal and eventually sold at auction.
For almost ten years, Fort Tejon provided a source of employment, protection, and social activities for local residents. The foremost duties of the Dragoons stationed here were to protect and control the Indians living on the Sebastian Indian Reservation, and to deter raids by the Paiutes, Chemeheuvi, Mojave and other desert Indian groups. The Dragoons’ wide-ranging patrols covered most of central and southern California and sometimes extended as far as Utah.
With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the Dragoons were sent to guard Los Angeles and later transferred east to fight in the war. In the summer of 1862, violence erupted between the encroaching white settlers and the Owens Valley Paiute, who wanted to protect their lands. Three cavalry companies of California Volunteers forcibly moved the Paiute to the Sebastian Indian Reservation, but the authorities there refused to accept responsibility for them. In 1863 several hundred of these Indians were brought to Fort Tejon, which was then being used by the California Volunteers. With little or no food, clothing, or other support, the Indians’ ranks were thinned by disease, starvation, and desertion until the summer of 1864 when they were transferred to the Tule River Indian Reservation. That year the U.S. Army closed Fort Tejon, formally ending its career as an active military post.
Even prior to the closure of Fort Tejon, Edward F. Beale began purchasing land in the area. In 1866 he acquired the former lands of the Sebastian Indian Reservation and the Castac Rancho land grant upon which the fort sat. The fort’s old adobe buildings were then being used as stables, storehouses and residences for ranch workers.
In 1940, through the persuasive efforts of Kern County citizens, the Tejon Ranch Company deeded five acres - the old parade ground, the foundations, and remnants of the original adobe buildings—to the State of California as a state park. Restoration began on the adobe buildings in 1947 and continues to this day. The original barracks building, the reconstructed officers’ quarters and various other structures stand as reminders of Fort Tejon’s military history.
Accessible Features
Picnic Area
Picnic Areas: An accessible picnic table is near the park office and a generally accessible restroom is nearby. Designated accessible parking is also nearby, but assistance may be required on the path of travel to the office.
Exhibits/Programs
Museum/office: This structure is generally accessible. Historic Structures/Interpretive Trail. Most of the historic structures are rarely open to the public. Interpretive trail exhibits on generally accessible paths of travel provide interpretive access for all.
Picnic Area
Picnic Areas: An accessible picnic table is near the park office and a generally accessible restroom is nearby. Designated accessible parking is also nearby, but assistance may be required on the path of travel to the office.
Exhibits/Programs
Museum/office: This structure is generally accessible. Historic Structures/Interpretive Trail. Most of the historic structures are rarely open to the public. Interpretive trail exhibits on generally accessible paths of travel provide interpretive access for all.
Tips & Rules
•The park is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
•Contact the park for information on scheduled living history demonstrations.
•State law prohibits disturbing or removing any natural, cultural or historical features in the park.
•Stay on designated trails or mowed areas.
•The park has no designated hiking or bicycle trails.
•Do not drive off designated roads.
•Pets must be kept on a leash.
Be the first to add a trip in this destination!•The park is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
•Contact the park for information on scheduled living history demonstrations.
•State law prohibits disturbing or removing any natural, cultural or historical features in the park.
•Stay on designated trails or mowed areas.
•The park has no designated hiking or bicycle trails.
•Do not drive off designated roads.
•Pets must be kept on a leash.
Nearby Community Trips
