Aguanga in Riverside County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
U.S. Mormon Battalion Trail
1847
— Temecula Valley —
Photographed By Donald Cooke, January 3, 2024
1. U.S. Mormon Battalion Trail Marker
Inscription.
U.S. Mormon Battalion Trail. In January of 1847, some 350 soldiers of the Mormon Battalion, including five officers wives and a few children, passed through this area of Temecula Valley. These soldiers, under the leadership of Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke, were on their way to San Diego having marched 2,000 miles from Council Bluffs, Iowa carving the first wagon trail across the United States into southern California. The march of the Mormon Battalion is known as the longest march in U.S. military history which leads to the saying that "Only a Mormon soldier could out walk a mule."
In January of 1847, some 350 soldiers of the
Mormon Battalion, including five officers
wives and a few children, passed through this
area of Temecula Valley. These soldiers, under
the leadership of Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke,
were on their way to San Diego having marched
2,000 miles from Council Bluffs, Iowa carving
the first wagon trail across the United States
into southern California. The march of the
Mormon Battalion is known as the longest
march in U.S. military history which leads
to the saying that "Only a Mormon soldier
could out walk a mule."
Erected 1996 by Eagle Scout project of Johnathon McKay Crane, Troop 100 Inland Empire Council, Historian Col. John A. Bascom Second United States Mormon Battalion.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • War, Mexican-American. In addition, it is included in the Mormon Battalion series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1847.
Location. 33° 27.048′ N, 116° 53.783′ W. Marker is in Aguanga, California, in Riverside County. Marker is on California 79, 1˝ miles south of Sage Road, on the right when traveling south. Parking lot of Stagecoach Inn restaurant. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 43851 CA-79, Aguanga CA 92536, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Stagecoach Inn at left. Marker is on the boulder next to the parked car at right.
Photographed By Donald Cooke, September 22, 2023
3. Stagecoach Inn Sign
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 3, 2024, by Donald Cooke of Aguanga, California. This page has been viewed 77 times since then. Photos:1. submitted on January 3, 2024, by Donald Cooke of Aguanga, California. 2, 3. submitted on January 16, 2024, by Donald Cooke of Aguanga, California. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
