The Capistrano Dispatch
Join the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society in celebrating the 200th anniversary of Richard Henry Dana’s birth during the society’s meeting at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, located at 25925 Camino Del Avion, this Thursday, March 12 at 7 p.m.
The meeting and program on Richard Henry Dana includes a spellbinding tale presented by Dr. Milt McMenamin about Dana’s interesting and influential life. As a 19-year-old Harvard student from a wealthy upper-class family, Dana left his privileged life in 1834 to become a sailor on the brig, The Pilgrim.
Dr. Milt McMenamin, an associate with The Ocean Institute in Dana Point, is also an actor, educator, author and storyteller who will take his audience on a fascinating journey bringing to life the voyage Richard Henry Dana made from Boston, around Cape Horn, to the coast of California. He will describe the historically important landing Dana made at Capistrano Bay, where ships unloaded goods from the east coast and awaited the hides supplied by the mission. Dana’s colorful experiences aboard The Pilgrim served as the basis for his widely-read memoir, Two Years Before the Mast.
