[3][4] (Father Juan Crespí visited the nearby Tongva Sacred Springs on an expedition in 1769; the scattered pools of flowing water reminded him of Monica’s tears for her son Augustine, of later Confessions fame.

[4] The city of Santa Monica paid for the materials; southern California under Armitage’s leadership was unusually successful compared to other regions in raising money for public artwork cooperatively funded with the PWAP.

[7][8] The dedication ceremony was set for a “Pioneer Days” event and attended by government dignitaries and community leaders, with music provided by the Santa Monica Municipal Band.

[7] Mount Rushmore sculptor Gutzon Borglum had even come to Santa Monica to help his friend Morahan finish the piece before the unveiling ceremony.

[8] He climbed into his Mustang and blasted down Wilshire, past the two- and three-story shops and bars and restaurants of Santa Monica, all the way to the end of the road, where Eugene Morahan’s white Art Deco statue of the city’s namesake saint stood, surrounded by gnarled trees and a patch of grass shaped like a heart.