Near Marina in Monterey County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

A Coastal Attack the Army Couldn’t Stop

Fort Ord Dunes State Park

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 15, 2013

1. A Coastal Attack the Army Couldn’t Stop Marker

Captions: The Army tried unsuccessfully to stop coastal erosion by “armoring” the cliff below Stilwell Hall with broken concrete and stone. (upper left); The bluffs at Fort Ord Dunes erode landward five to eight feet a year as storm-driven waves wash away countless tons of sand. (lower left); Fort Ord’s dunes formed over thousands of years, as prevailing winds from Monterey Bay blew wave-deposited sand inland from the beach. (upper right); The sand in Fort Ord’s dunes came from coastal streams like the Salinas River that carry sandy sediment into Monterey Bay. (lower right).

Inscription. Soldiers once guarded this shoreline against sea-borne attack, but one force proved too powerful to stop. Coastal erosion, the wearing away of these bluffs and beaches by ocean waves, has been steadily moving the coastline inland here since sea levels began rising after the last ice age. Human activities, such as mining sand and constructing dams on the coastal rivers, and speed up erosion by preventing new sand from replenishing these beaches.

Erected by California State Parks.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Military • Natural Features.

Location. 36° 39.645′ N, 121° 49.332′ W. Marker is near Marina, California, in Monterey County. Marker can be reached from 8th Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Marina CA 93933, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Stilwell Hall: A Fond Memory (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named A Coastal Attack the Army Couldn’t Stop (within shouting distance of this marker); Former Firing Range Becomes a State Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Training to Defend America (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line);

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Welcome to Fort Ord Dunes State Park! (about 300 feet away); Post 694 (approx. 2.9 miles away); Portola-Crespi Monument (approx. 4.1 miles away); Depots (approx. 5.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Marina.

More about this marker. The marker is located in Fort Ord Dunes State Park near the old Stilwell Hall parking lot.

Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, September 15, 2013

2. A Coastal Attack the Army Couldn’t Stop Marker

The marker is on the bluff in the distance.

Coastal Bluff, looking north from the Stilwell Hall site image. Click for full size.

October 18, 2007

3. Coastal Bluff, looking north from the Stilwell Hall site

For an example of erosion's effects, follow the fenceline.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 29, 2013. This page has been viewed 622 times since then and 23 times this year. Last updated on October 6, 2020. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 29, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 3. submitted on September 30, 2013. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.