This is a complete List of National Historic Landmarks in California. The United States National Historic Landmark (NHL) program is operated under the auspices of the National Park Service, and recognizes structures, districts, objects, and similar resources nationwide according to a list of criteria of national significance.[1] The listings in the state of California express the diversity of California's heritage, including pre-Columbian peoples, the Spanish and Mexican periods, maritime activity, space exploration, and many other themes.
The table below lists all 148 sites, along with added detail and description. The sites are distributed across 36 of California's 58 counties.[2]
One site, Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites, is shared with Arizona and is listed by the National Park Service in that state. Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge is shared with Oregon but credited to California.
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In addition, there are four sites that were once National Historic Landmarks in California but are not currently.
Landmark name[3] | Image | Date designated | Date moved or withdrawn | Location[4] | Description | |
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First Pacific Coast Salmon Cannery Site | Broderick, Yolo County 38.5808°N -121.5073°W | The first Pacific Coast salmon cannery was established on this site in 1864. However, nothing of the original operation remains, and numerous floods and the establishment of a city park on the former site altered the riverbank's appearance to such a degree that the NHL designation was withdrawn in 2004. | ||||
Fort Ross Chapel[5] | 1969 | 1971 | Fort Ross, Sonoma County | The chapel at Fort Ross, a rare example of a log church constructed on a Russian quadrilateral plan, was withdrawn from the NHL listings after a fire destroyed most of the building in 1970. A complete reconstruction of the chapel now stands in its place. | ||
Rock Magnetics Laboratory | Menlo Park, San Mateo County | Located at the United States Geological Survey's Menlo Park offices, this is the site where Richard Doell, Allan V. Cox, and Brent Dalrymple researched major discoveries in areas related to geomagnetic reversals and plate tectonics. However, the lab was built in a temporary building, which was demolished in the late 1990s. | ||||
Wapama (steam schooner) | San Francisco | This 204' wooden schooner was the last surviving of 200 ships of its type plying the lumber trade along the Pacific coast. It was scrapped in 2013. | ||||