On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo landed at San Diego Bay. This event marked the first time that a European expedition had set foot on what later became the west coast of the United States. His accomplishments were memorialized on October 14, 1913 with the establishment of Cabrillo National Monument. Perched more than 400 feet (120 m) above the waterline, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse is the highest in the US. It was eventually retired in favor of a new lighthouse built lower in order to avoid fog and low clouds. With the Navy shaping San Diego so much, it is not a surprise that the national cemetery is the third largest in the country.
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