Point Mugu | |
|---|---|
 Pacific Ocean at Point Mugu | |
  Point Mugu Location within California | |
| Coordinates:34°5′8″N119°3′36″W / 34.08556°N 119.06000°W /34.08556; -119.06000 | |
| Location | Point Mugu State Park,Ventura County, California |
| Offshore water bodies | Pacific Ocean |
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) |
| GNIS feature ID | 247643[1] |
Point Mugu (/muːˈɡuː/,Chumash:Muwu)[2] is a cape orpromontory withinPoint Mugu State Park on thePacific Coast inVentura County, near the city ofPort Hueneme and the city ofOxnard. The name is believed to be derived from theChumash Indian term "Muwu", meaning "beach", which was first mentioned byCabrillo in his journals in 1542.[3]Mugu Lagoon is asalt marsh just upcoast from the promontory within theNaval Base Ventura County formerly called theNaval Air Station Point Mugu.[4]
The name derives from Muwu (Ventureño: "Beach"),[5][6] which was the name of a Chumash village at Point Mugu during pre-colonial times. The village of Muwu (CA-VEN-11[clarification needed]) had the highest population of any coastalChumash settlements along theSanta Monica Mountains.[7] Muwu was a ceremonial center and the ancient capital of Lulapin, a major political unit of Chumash territory which stretched from modern dayLos Angeles County toSanta Barbara in the north. The territory stretched for 60 mi (97 km) along the coast, and at least half as far inland.[8] Mission records indicate that 191 inhabitants were baptized in Muwu, more than any other Chumash village by the Santa Monica Mountains. The last chief of Muwu, Mariano Wataitset, son of Halashu (Big Chief of Muwu), was baptized atMission San Buenaventura in 1802.[9]
On January 31, 2000,Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashed off of Point Mugu, killing all 88 people on board theMcDonnell Douglas MD-83 operating the flight.[10]
Mugu Rock is a distinctive feature of the coastalheadlandpromontory that has been featured in many film shoots and television commercials. This igneous dike marks the western end of theSanta Monica Mountains, and theRancho Guadalasca boundary. The rock was formed when the roadway was cut through the near-vertical ridge of resistant volcanic rock in 1937. A route had been blasted out around the promontory in 1923–24 to completePacific Coast Highway betweenMalibu and theOxnard Plain. This replaced a narrow path around the rock and much of that roadway has since eroded away.[11]
The site is a popular but dangerous place for fishing, sightseeing, cliff diving, and rock climbing up the sheer sides of the rock.[12] On Thanksgiving Day 2008, three young men from Oxnard were swept to sea and killed by arogue wave while surf watching from Mugu Rock.[13]
Directly east of Mugu Rock isPoint Mugu State Beach Campsite.[14] The park has 5 miles (8 km) of shoreline and more than 70 miles (110 km) of hiking trails.[15]
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