San Deigo Historic Site 482 CAMP WRIGHT SITE

At Oak Grove in 1861 Camp Wright was established to guard communications betweenCalifornia and Arizona, and to close off traffic between the Pacific Coast andthe Confederate States. Camp Wright had been at Warner's Ranch briefly, before the Oak Grove site was chosen. The second location is off the road a little distance. Nothing remains to show the spot, abandoned in 1866.

The camp was named for Brigadier General George Wright, commander of the Districtof Southern California and the Department of the Pacific from 1861 to the closingdays of the Civil War.

Troops from Camp Wright were involved in the only military action of the war on California soil, the capture of the Showalter Party. This, a group of Southernsympathizers, organized in El Monte to cross the desert to join the ConfederateArmy, was captured near Mesa Grande and taken to Camp Wright. The captives gave their parole not to take up arms against the United States, and were released. Most of them promptly set out for the South and enlisted, according to the original plan.