Anaheim Landing, Seal Beach

California · United States · Cemetery

An 1849 seaport and the main beach of its day, with a boardwalk of shops. The naval weapons station was built over it, and over ground held sacred before.

The naval weapons station at Seal Beach in Orange County, California covers ground with two layers of history beneath it.

The older is the land itself, which local tradition holds to be an ancient burial ground of the people who lived here before any of it. Claims of that kind are made about a great many American sites and are rarely documented, but this stretch of coast was inhabited long before 1849 and the wetlands here were central to how people lived on it.

The second layer is Anaheim Landing, an Orange County historical site and an early seaport dating from around 1849. By the turn of the century it was the main beach for the region, with a boardwalk of shops, food and refreshments. The Bolsa Chica wetlands and marshes run into its boundaries.

What is reported comes from security personnel working the installation: shadows moving at night, figures identified as Native people, and footsteps that follow patrols around the site.

This is an active military facility and is closed to the public.

FAQ

Where is Anaheim Landing, Seal Beach located?

Anaheim Landing, Seal Beach is in California, United States.

Image: Orange County Archives / CC BY 2.0 via flickr