4x4abc - 8-22-2020 at 04:04 PM
I think I solved the mystery around an image that was supposedly taken between Loreto and La Paz. Only it did not match anything on the ground today.
Did not match anything on Google Earth either.
I think it is depicting Puerto Magdalena. The historic US Naval coaling station.
It had to be a location with very calm protected waters, like on the Cotes side or on the east side of a Pacific island.
I think, this is it.
There are 2 distinct houses up on a Mesa. Easily recognized in other images taken around the turn of the century.
There is a quarry of white rock close to theses 2 houses that can still be seen on Google Earth. 24°38'11.22"N, 112° 8'27.49"W. Well visible in
this 1900 picture
What I found in the process is that the US Naval Station must have moved from Puerto Magdalena to Punta Arena farther south at one point in time. Does
anyone know when? I had always thought that Punta Arena (Punta Belcher) had always been the location for the Naval Station.
mtgoat666 - 8-22-2020 at 05:11 PM
The us navy station at la paz was at pichilingue.
Us navy at mag bay was in harbor to south side of main/wide bay entrance, maybe puerto Alcatraz is where the navy had shore station?
4x4abc - 8-22-2020 at 05:36 PM
Pichilingue coaling station still visible
4x4abc - 8-22-2020 at 05:39 PM
Carbonera Pichilingue
David K - 8-23-2020 at 07:48 AM
In 2012, we boated past the U.S. coaling station north of La Paz:
4x4abc - 8-23-2020 at 10:15 AM
So, Puerto Magdalena was the only US base on Isla Magdalena as the paper below describes.
Then who used the newer base with the airstrip (no airstrips around 1900) farther south? Mexicans? US in WWII?
Abandoned now.
file:///Volumes/New%20Box%20Pro%20Snow%20Leopard%20/Users/laspuertas/Documents/Baja%20and%20CR%20images/military%20interest%20in%20Magdalena%20Bay.pdf
4x4abc - 8-23-2020 at 12:12 PM
sorry for the bad link:
https://online.ucpress.edu/scq/article-split/83/3/261/87015/...
AKgringo - 8-23-2020 at 02:26 PM
Harald, I did a google earth search of Isla Magdalena, and found nothing on it! It is actually north of where the screen shot you posted is located
on Bahia Magdalena.
Even then I had trouble locating it because the shot you posted has been rotated almost 180 degrees from having north at the top of the image.
4x4abc - 8-23-2020 at 08:05 PM
Puerto Magdalena 24°38'9.95"N, 112° 8'21.43"W
Punta Arenas (Punta Belcher) 24°35'1.73"N, 112° 4'31.70"W
Google does not offer much - you need to look at G12C66