Dana Point Historical Society
History
Stories, people, and places from the Dana Point Historical Society archives.
Richard Henry Dana Jr.
The 19th-century lawyer, author, and abolitionist whose 1840 memoir Two Years Before the Mast chronicled this coast and gave Dana Point its name.
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It's History: Woodruff the Man
Sidney H. Woodruff, the Los Angeles developer behind Hollywoodland, drew up the 1920s master plan for Dana Point as a Mediterranean village by the sea.
Read more →Dana Point's Legendary Lanterns
The story of the lantern streetlights and the people who named the Streets of the Green, Blue, Ruby, Amber, Violet, Golden, Silver, Copper, and Crystal Lantern.
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Donated Historic Lanterns Come With a Dual History
Two original c.1927-1929 lantern streetlights donated to the Historical Society, with a salvage history reaching back to the 1950s.
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The Boehne Family: Surfing Legends of Dana Point
Steve and Barrie Boehne, founders of Infinity Surfboards and tandem surfing world champions, honored at the Society's June 12, 2024 program.
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Also explore
Dana Point Timeline
From the hide trade to the present day, drawn from the articles above.
Open →Newsletter Archive
Every issue of the Drogher from 2014 through 2025.
Open →Historic Designations
Landmark No. 189, the Dana and Hide Drogher sculptures, and buildings from the Woodruff era.
Open →Historic Plaque Program
The City’s Historic Resource Inventory and Local Register, and the properties on it.
Open →Waterman’s Plaza
The plaza honoring Dana Point’s watermen, and the Richfield tower display beside it.
Open →Archive Collection
Documents from the 1920s San Juan Point Corporation, and the collections in the digital Photo Archive.
Open →Oral Histories
The Oral History Project: residents, cityhood, surfing, and local war veterans, recorded since 2003.
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