Frémont's historic second overland expedition of 1843-44 was the first in which he reached California. He and his companions entered California in the dead of winter, camped across the snowbound Sierra, spent a month at Sutter's Fort in the Sacramento Valley, and then continued south through the San Joaquin Valley. Frémont's report added to the growing American interest in the Far West and California, making this 1844 expedition one of the most influential events in American westward expansion. Frémont camped at this site on March 26, 1844.

Citation from California Office of Historic Preservation