Hi! We're Jesse and Doreen Cross! We'd like to get better acquainted with you and introduce everyone to this place we love so much called Fort Cross.

 

   How did Fort Cross come to be? Well, Jesse grew up in a family that has a great love of history. Many of them are amazing artists too, including him! He started in the living history business around the year 2000 on his family's farm in San Bernardino. It was there at Riley's Farm where he helped with their very first living history program, and many more since then! About 10 years later, he was allowed to share a place on the back side of Riley's Farm where he launched Fort Cross. It was with the same idea of living history, but with a greater focus on survival skills and Native history. School groups and other youth organizations would come out and enjoy a day of hands-on education! 

   Doreen was a single mother with a little girl who was a Daisy in Girl Scouts. It was on a beautiful June day in 2012 that her daughter's troop went out to Fort Cross for a field trip.
It was the best outing they had ever experienced with their group!
She was amazed by Jesse and the awesome program he had planned for them. "This is exactly the kind of thing that I thought Girl Scouts was all about!"
With so much excitement about his business, Jesse hired her to help with the marketing. 

   Almost 4 years later on April 4th of 2016

 

, they were married. Right around that time, the property where Fort Cross was located was no longer an option. So immediately after the wedding, and with the support of Jesse's parents, they moved to Julian to start all over again.
   In the spring of 2Jesse's dream has always been to have a place of his own where he could have the freedom to run Fort Cross, and boy has that dream come true!

   It was quite a busy year with some pretty big changes. Definitely a whirlwind for the both of us!
We are so grateful to be on this beautiful mountain where God blesses us every day. Our goal is to fortify our post with love and grace for everyone who comes here. We hope you feel welcome here, like a part of the family.