Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1916 — Old Missions of California [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Old Missions of California

EVERYONE who thinks of California conceives a mental picture of its old missions and its big trees. The Franciscan Fathers built 21 missions In California, extending from San Diego, at the extreme southern limit of the state, to Solano, 30 miles north of San Francisco bay, a distance of almost 600 miles. Ten of these missions were placed in central California, extending from Monterey county to Sonoma county, a distance of about 150 miles. Of the ten in the central counties, five were established around San Francisco bay and the remaining five in Santa Cruz, San Benito and Monterey counties. The Franciscan pioneers, knowing California, selected with great care the fruitful valleys and the spots where the climate is mild and equable the year round. Of the five missions around San Francisco bay, the one at

San Rafael, Just across the bay from San Francisco, and the one at Santa Cruz on Monterey bay have entirely disappeared. Mission Dolores in the heart of San Francisco, Mission San Jose at the little town of the same name on the main motor boulevard from Oakland to San Jose, and Mission Santa Clara in the town of Santa Clara, four miles from San Jose, are kept in fairly good repair, and are visited annually by many tourists. In Midst of Great City. Mission Dolores, built in 1776 and now in the midst of the residence district of San Francisco, is the only one of the old missions which is surrounded by a large city. Mission Santa Clara, has been incorporated into the buildings of the University of Santa Clara, one of the large educational institutions of California. Many interesting and valuable mission relics are carefully preserved at the university in a room set aside for the purpose. Solano mission, in the town of Sonoma, some thirty miles north of the Bay of San Franeisco, was built in 1823. It was the last and the farthest north of the chain of old missions. It is located in a most attractive section of central .California at a town which has played a considerable part in California’s early history. Sonoma is in the “Valley of the Moon,” made famous by Jack London’s novel of the same name. London’s thousand acre ranch is a few miles north of Sonoma. No more beautiful country can be found in California than the immediate surroundings of Mission San Jose, which lies 28 miles from the city of Oakland on the state highway. Al! around the long, low adobe structure are orchards and vineyards. Immedlately back of the mission are the beautiful foothills of a branch of the coast range of mountains and to the westward is the incomparably rich and beautiful Santa Clara valley. A wonderful grove of palms, olive and fig trees planted by the padres in 1797 lies across the highway from the

mission. It is now a part of probably the most attractive country home in California, known as Palmdale. Monterey the Mission County. Monterey county is called the mission county of California, because it has within its boundaries three of the old missions, namely: Mission Carmel at Carmel-by the Sea, Mission San Antonio and Mission Soledad. The former is maintained in excellent repair and many thousands visit the old building annually. Here Padre Junipero Serra lived and is buried. San Antonio and Soledad missions are fast failing into ruins. One of the most beautiful of the old missions is San Juan Bautista at the little town of the same name in San Benito county, 100 miles south of San Francisco. The original highway, or rather the pathway connecting the old missions from one end of the state to the other,

was called El Camino Real or the King’s Highway. The state of California in laying out its $18,000,000 motor highway, which is largely completed, followed the road of the Franciscans stretching from mission to mission. The visitor to California, particularly the motorist, can thus make a tour of the old missions over a wonderfully fine boulevard through picturesque valleys and mountains. The California Landmark league and the Native Sons of the Golden West are making a strong campaign to restore all the old missions about which so much of the romantic, history of the state is built, and to maintain them for all time.

Old Missions of California

MISSION SAN JUAN BAUTISTA

MISSION DOLORES