Morning drive and the sun rise

(Three palms mark Panama-style gun mounts)

In the nineteenth century and up through the early 1890's this site was used for cattle ranching and agriculture. In 1899, wealthy businessmen from the area formed the Bolsa Chica Gun Club. To manage the water within Bolsa Chica, a network of dikes was created to prevent tidal exchange and form a series of ponds.
In the 1920's oil was discovered in the area and much of the site has been developed and managed for oil extraction activities ever since.

During World War II, some of the gun club buildings were used as barracks and gun batteries built as part of the Coastal Protection System to protect the coastline and oil resources from Japanese attack. The weapons were only ever fired for training exercises. Remains of the Panama-style gun mounts can still be seen at the site today on a hill overlooking the wetlands.