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Administrative History

Fort Tejon State Historic Park is located in the San Emigdio Mountains near the
top of the Grapevine Canyon, near the city of Lebec, California. Established in
1940, the park contains 647 acres of oak-wooded hillsides, grassland, wetlands,
riparian vegetation and the ruins of Fort Tejon.

The U.S. Army established Fort Tejon in 1854 to replace Fort Miller, control the
Indians living on the Sebastian Indian Reservation, and to protect both the
Indians and white settlers from raids by regional Indian groups. From 1854-1864
various regiments manned the Fort, including the 1st U.S. Dragoons. On
September 11, 1864 the Federal government abandoned the Fort; the property
became privately owned ranchland.

During the Fort’s ten years of operation the Dragoons campaigned against the
Indians, maintained civil order, and transported goods and people throughout the
area. An interesting feature of the Fort was the U.S. Camel Corps. In the 1850s
the U.S. Army experimented with the use of camels for transport across the arid
south west. The project was quickly scrapped after the first official test in 1860
between Los Angeles and Fort Mojave. Prior to the Army’s purchase, the camels
were used to haul supplies for Edward F. Beale, former California Superintendent
of Indian Affairs and Samuel Bishop, Tejon Ranch owner.

The site of the fort is also well known for the grave marker of Peter LeBec, an
early frontiersmen and fur trapper, mauled by a bear. Little further evidence of
LaBec has surfaced but many fantastical stories have circulated creating a
mysterious and exciting past for the man buried under LeBec Tree.

In 1936 Fort Tejon was listed as California Historic Landmark #129 (not
dedicated until 1954). In 1940 Tejon Ranch donated seven acres of land to the
state for the establishment of the park. Between 1940 and 1955 Tejon Ranch
donated an additional 199 acres. The Department of Parks and Recreation owns
the majority of the area associated with the garrison portion of the Fort Tejon
complex. Portions of the site – including the quartermaster facilities and
storehouses – are not state owned property.

In June 1962 the park was officially classified and renamed Fort Tejon State
Historic Park. Since then small portions of the original fort complex have been
reconstructed or preserved. The buildings at the park feature a number of
interpretive displays where re-enactors teach park guests about the daily lives of
the soldiers stationed at the fort. Other museum exhibits cover topics of army life
and local history. The park features a campground, picnic area, hiking trails, and
civil war re-enactments. The fort was listed on the National Register of Historic
Places in 1971. In the mid-2000s a second donation of property from a private
landowner added an additional 442 acres to the park.