This image snows the borders of the California Historical Landmark 1061, Site of New Albion.

Original: Google Earth image. Derivative Image by Michael Von der Porten..

Original: Caltrans roadside sign/public domain. Derivative Image by Michael Von der Porten..

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 called on every state to protect its historically significant places, and each state created a historic preservation office in response. California's Office of Historic Preservation was established in 1975 under the Director of California State Parks. It is led by the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), who also serves as executive secretary to the State Historical Resources

Anyone may nominate a site, but it must meet at least one of these criteria:

• The first, last, only, or most significant of its kind in the state or in a major region (Northern, Central, or Southern California)

• Association with a person or group that profoundly influenced California history

• A prototype or outstanding example of a period, style, architectural movement, or method of construction, or one of the finest surviving works in its region by a pioneering architect, designer, or master builder

The Nomination

In 2019, Guild President Steve Wright and Vice President Michael Von der Porten met with Cicely Muldoon, Superintendent of Point Reyes National Seashore, who immediately offered her support. They then met with California SHPO Julianne Polanco, who encouraged them to apply, and the Guild began work on the nomination.

The application summarized the site this way: the Site of New Albion, on the Marin County coast, is where Sir Francis Drake's expedition landed and camped in 1579 and where Drake met the Coast Miwok people. Already a National Historic Landmark, it qualifies for its association with Drake and the voyage of the Golden Hind, which profoundly influenced California history.

Review and Approval

Historians at the Office of Historic Preservation evaluated the application before forwarding it to the full Commission. The nomination was also posted online for public comment, and archaeologists and historians from California, Oregon, Canada, and Great Britain wrote in support. No objections were received.

The Commission held its public hearing on August 14, 2020. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the meeting took place on Zoom, which allowed supporters from far away to attend. The Commission voted unanimously in favor and sent the nomination to California State Parks Director Armando Quintero, who signed it on October 6, 2021, making the designation official. Among the congratulations the Guild received was a message from the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III.

Through the roughly fourteen months between hearing and signature, the nomination went unchallenged, once again affirming the Guild's work.

New Albion: A California Historical Landmark

Drake’s Cove lies within the boundaries of Point Reyes National Seashore. It is recessed under the cliffs overlooking Drake’s Estero and lies roughly 200 yards north of Drake’s Bay.  During Drake’s stay at this location, several important first events occurred:

• English claim to what would become the United States

• English encroachment on indigenous people’s lands in what would become the United States

• Interactions between native peoples and Europeans in northern California, all which were personally friendly and peaceful relations over five weeks

• Use of the term Nova Albion (New England) for the USA which refers to the white cliffs at Drakes Bay

•  Use of the English language in the future United States

•  Protestant church service in the future United States·    

•  Use of the Book of Common Prayer in the future United States

• European contact in northern California

•  Black persons in California, people freed from Spanish enslavement by Drake

•  Hispanic person in northern California, including de Moreno who stayed in California and trekked on a four year journey back to Mexico

•  Material deposit of Asian trade goods in California