Lorin Morgan-Richards Presents Biographies of the West
The Fort Tejon and Peter Lebeck Story
Directed by Lorin Morgan RichardsS9 • E2 Feb 7, 2026
The Fort Tejon and Peter Lebeck story centers on a French-Canadian trapper who entered California folklore after his death in a bear attack on October 17, 1837, in the Tehachapi Mountains of Southern California. His companions buried him beneath a towering valley oak and carved his epitaph into the tree, an inscription later recorded by passing travelers and explorers. In 1854, the U.S. Army established Fort Tejon nearby as a strategic outpost to control passage through the Grapevine Pass and maintain regional stability. Lorin Morgan-Richards brings this history to life through on-site exploration, colorized historic photographs, and carefully curated period documents.
