Two Years Before the Mast :: Homes in Dana Point, CA
Richard Henry Dana wrote as an “onboard diarist” in the 1830’s of his discovery at Dana Point, California, a beautiful Southern coastal boundary of Orange County in his classic work “Two Years Before the Mast:”
Revolutions are matters of constant occurrence in California. They are got up by men who are at the foot of the ladder and in desperate circumstances, just as a new political party is started by such men in our own country. The only object, of course, is the loaves and fishes; and instead of caucusing, paragraphing, libelling, feasting, promising, and lying, as with us, they take muskets and bayonets, and seizing upon the presidio and custom-house, divide the spoils, and declare a new dynasty. As for justice, they know no law but will and fear.
I was struck by this quotation in how California appeared so primal and brutal to this Englishman exploring and writing about the Southern coast. I think he perceived that Christianity and “culture” brought civilization to the land. On the other hand, he writes throughout his tome on how wonderful the beans and tortillas and spicy foods were that the “savage” natives made for him. He refers to their “constant occurrence” revolutions as primal things. Over a hundred years later, I wonder how he’d view those natives now.
The beaches are spectacular. The buildings and hotels along the cliffs are ominous yet alluring. Home prices in this coastal area are at an all time low. If interested please feel free to contact me to discuss what’s out there and how you might make this historical place your new home.
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