Morro Rock is a volcanic plug located just off-shore of Morro Bay, California at the entrance to the Morro Bay Harbor and a causeway connects it with the shore, effectively making it a tied island. The area around the base of Morro Rock can be visited. Every few years, someone tries to climb the rock. They are often caught since they usually cannot get down without assistance. Climbers risk more than fines or jail time as the rocks that form Morro Rock are loose and fall down regularly. The base of Morro Rock is littered with fallen boulders.

History

Morro Rock was first charted in 1542 by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who called it El Morro, which translates from Spanish to "the pebble". Since then, it has become an important landmark to sailors and travelers. Morro Rock is considered a sacred site by the Chumash Indian tribe, who had an important nearby prehistoric settlement at least as early as the Millingstone Horizon, which village was near the mouth of Morro Creek. The Chumash have the rare exemption to legally climb Morro Rock for their annual Solstice ceremony.

Previously, it was surrounded by water, but the northern channel was filled with material from the rock to make the harbor. The "Rock," as locals call it, was quarried from 1889 to 1969. The rock itself is accessible to the public, but it is also a reserve for the peregrine falcon.

Morro Rock is the best known of the Nine Sisters of San Luis Obispo County, a series of ancient volcanic plugs which line the Los Osos Valley between the cities of Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo.

Flora and fauna

A number of birds nest on Morro Rock including three cormorant species.

References

1. C.Michael Hogan (2008) Morro Creek, ed. by A. Burnham
2. Joan Easton Lentz and Don DesJardin (2006) Introduction to Birds of the Southern California Coast, University of California Press, 316 pages ISBN 0520243218

External links

• City of Morro Bay
• The Nine Sisters