California Missions
Name: Mission San Diego de Alcalá Year founded: 1769 Order (by date): 1 Nearby native tribe(s): Kumeyaay Fact #1: Mission San Diego was the first mission built in Alta California Fact #2: When a 1775 native revolt led to the killing of Friar Jayme, he became the first Christian Martyr in California Fact #3: The 1775 native revolt was the first of 12 such revolts against Spanish Missions in California
Name: San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo Year founded: 1770 Order (by date): 2 Nearby native tribe(s): Esselen and Ohlone Fact #1: It was destroyed in the mid-1800s and restored in 1884 Fact #2: The early missionaries relied on bear meat to survive Fact #3: Pope John Paul II visited the mission in 1987
Name: Mission San Antonio de Padua Year founded: 1771 Order (by date): 3 Nearby native tribe(s): Salinan Fact #1: It was the first building to use tile roofing in California Fact #2: It was the site of the first Christian marriage in California Fact #3: The mission operates as a functional Catholic Church today
Name: Mission San Gabriel Year founded: 1771 Order (by date): 4 Nearby native tribe(s): Tongva Fact #1: Father Cruzado, from Cordoba, Spain, designed the mission architecture in Moorish style Fact #2: Is the only mission to have this style of narrow windows Fact #3: An earthquake in 1812 caused parts of the bell tower to collapse
Name: San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Year founded: 1772 Order (by date): 5 Nearby native tribe(s): Chumash Fact #1: The city of San Luis Obispo is named after the mission Fact #2: White Californians used the mission as a military base against Mexico in the Mexican-American War Fact #3: It is the only L shaped mission church among the 21 California missions
Name: San Francisco de Asís Year founded: 1776 Order (by date): 6 Nearby native tribe(s): Ohlone Fact #1: It is the oldest surviving structure in San Francisco Fact #2: The 1906 earthquake destroyed the church next to the mission, but the mission remained Fact #3: A full-length statue of Father Junipero Serra (founder of several missions) is located at this mission
Name: Mission San Juan Capistrano Year founded: 1776 Order (by date): 7 Nearby native tribe(s): Juaneño Fact #1: This mission has the oldest structure still in regular use (the chapel building constructed in 1782) Fact #2: Is well-known for the migrating swallows that come every summer from regions of Argentina Fact #3: Is home to the largest pepper tree in the United States
Name: Mission Santa Clara de Asís Year founded: 1777 Order (by date): 8 Nearby native tribe(s): Ohlone, Miwok Costanoan, Tamyen, Yokuts, Costeño Fact #1: Both the city and the county of Santa Clara are named after this mission Fact #2: Was the home of the first college in California in 1828 Fact #3: Serves as a chapel for Santa Clara University to this day
Name: Mission San Buenaventura Year founded: 1782 Order (by date): 9 Nearby native tribe(s): Chumash, Bentureño Fact #1: The original bells for this mission were borrowed from Mission Santa Barbara, but never returned Fact #2: The Chumash helped build aqueducts around the Mission Fact #3: Because of the Orchards, gardens and water flow, English navigator George Vancouver called it the finest mission he had ever seen
Name: Mission Santa Barbara Year founded: 1786 Order (by date): 10 Nearby native tribe(s): Chumash, Barbareño, Canaliño Fact #1: Named after Saint Barbara, a 3rd century Turk beheaded by her father for becoming a Christian Fact #2: Successfully scared off invading French sailors in 1818 Fact #3: Abe Lincoln gave it back to the Catholic Church less than a month before his death in 1865
Name: La Purísima Concepción Year founded: 1787 Order (by date): 11 Nearby native tribe(s): Chumash, Purisimeño Fact #1: One of only two missions that is not currently controlled by the Catholic Church Fact #2: currently a State Park Fact #3: an 1812 earthquake destroyed the original complex, but it is the only complete mission complex still in existence
Name: Mission Santa Cruz Year founded: 1791 Order (by date): 12 Nearby native tribe(s): Yokuts, Ohlone, Awaswas Fact #1: The mission complex was made up of 32 different buildings Fact #2: Nicknamed the hard-luck mission because of multiple earthquakes causing damage Fact #3: Was the site of the first autopsy in California
Name: Nuestra Señora de la Soledad Year founded: 1791 Order (by date): 13 Nearby native tribe(s): Chalon, Esselen, Yokuts, Costeño Fact #1: A Spanish Governor, Jose Joaquin de Arrillaga, was buried at the mission in 1814 Fact #2: Was in ruins from 1835-1954 Fact #3: A restoration project took place from 1954-1955
Name: Mission San José Year founded: 1797 Order (by date): 14 Nearby native tribe(s): Miwok, Patwin, Tamyen, Yokuts Fact #1: cities of Livermore, Peralta and Alviso were named after pioneer families connected to the mission Fact #2: original complex consisted of over 100 adobe buildings Fact #3: The 1985 restoration is said to be a near-perfect replica of the original mission
Name: Mission San Juan Bautista Year founded: 1797 Order (by date): 15 Nearby native tribe(s): Mutsun, Yokuts, Costeño Fact #1: It is the largest of all 21 missions in California Fact #2: It sits right on the San Andreas fault and has been hit by numerous earthquakes Fact #3: It was featured in Alfred Hitchcock s film Vertigo in 1958
Name: Mission San Miguel Arcángel Year founded: 1797 Order (by date): 16 Nearby native tribe(s): Salinan Fact #1: the 2003 Sam Simeon Earthquake closed the mission for 6 years of repair work Fact #2: The inside of the mission features many murals by Esteban Munras Fact #3: The mission was once sold for $600 in 1846
Name: San Fernando Rey de España Year founded: 1797 Order (by date): 17 Nearby native tribe(s): Tataviam, Tongva Fact #1: a 100-pound mission bell was excavated in a nearby orange grove in 1920 Fact #2: Many scenes from the 1985 film Pee-wee s Big Adventure were filmed inside the mission Fact #3: The mission name was given to both the city of San Fernando as well as the San Fernando Valley
Name: San Luis Rey de Francia Year founded: 1798 Order (by date): 18 Nearby native tribe(s): Kumeyaay, Quechnajuichom Fact #1: The compound once served almost 1 million acres of land Fact #2: The mission was named after King Louis IX of France Fact #3: The first Peruvian pepper tree in California was planted at this mission in 1830, later to be named the California Pepper Tree
Name: Mission Santa Inés Year founded: 1804 Order (by date): 19 Nearby native tribe(s): Chumash Fact #1: its nickname is hidden gem of the missions Fact #2: In 1824, a young soldier beat a Chumash Indian to death, sparking the Chumash Revolut of 1824 Fact #3: The 1812 earthquake destroyed much of this mission
Name: Mission San Rafael Arcángel Year founded: 1817 Order (by date): 20 Nearby native tribe(s): Miwok Fact #1: The mission was used as the headquarters of the Bear Flag Revolt during the Mexican-American War Fact #2: Known as the most obliterated mission since the only original part of the mission is a single pear tree Fact #3: It was the first hospital in California
Name: Mission San Francisco Solano Year founded: 1823 Order (by date): 21 Nearby native tribe(s): Wiwok Fact #1: Was the final mission built in California Fact #2: The Spanish wanted to monitor Russian activities in the north, using this mission as headquarters Fact #3: Was well-known for growing varieties of grapes on the site