The Santa Clarita Historical Society welcomed Karina Dunbar, president of the Fort Tejon Historical Association, to discuss the history of Fort Tejon.

Fort Tejon is located in Grapevine Canyon, the main route between California’s Central Valley and Los Angeles. The fort was established to control the Indians who were living on the Sebastian Indian Reservation, and to protect the Indians and white settlers from one another and from raids by Native American groups from the desert regions to the southeast.

Fort Tejon was first garrisoned by the United States Army on August 10, 1854 and was abandoned 10 years later on September 11, 1864.