The Old Franciscan Missions Of California — John Shaqi
The Old Franciscan Missions Of CaliforniaJames, George Wharton
Religion
The Old Franciscan Missions Of California
James, George Wharton
Franciscans -- California; Spanish mission buildings -- California
In the meantime events were shaping elsewhere for the founding of the
Mission of San Francisco. Away yonder, in what is now Arizona, but was
then a part of New Mexico, were several Missions, some forty miles
south of the city of Tucson, and it was decided to connect these, by
means of a good road, with the Missions of California. Captain Juan
Bautista de Anza was sent to find this road. He did so, and made the
trip successfully, going with Padre Serra from San Gabriel as far north
as Monterey.
On his return, the Viceroy, Bucareli, gave orders that he should recruit
soldiers and settlers for the establishment and protection of the new
Mission on San Francisco Bay. We have a full roster, in the handwriting
of Padre Font, the Franciscan who accompanied the expedition, of those
who composed it. Successfully they crossed the sandy wastes of Arizona
and the barren desolation of the Colorado Desert (in Southern
California).
On their arrival at San Gabriel, January 4, 1776 (memorable year on the
other side of the continent), they found that Rivera, who had been
appointed governor in Portolá's stead, had arrived the day before, on
his way south to quell the Indian disturbances at San Diego, and Anza,
on hearing the news, deemed the matter of sufficient importance to
justify his turning aside from his direct purpose and going south with
Rivera. Taking seventeen of his soldiers along, he left the others to
recruit their energies at San Gabriel, but the inactivity of Rivera did
not please him, and, as things were not going well at San Gabriel, he
soon returned and started northward. It was a weary journey, the rains
having made some parts of the road well-nigh impassable, and even the
women had to walk. Yet on the tenth of March they all arrived safely and
happily at Monterey, where Serra himself came to congratulate them.
After an illness which confined him to his bed, Anza, against the advice
of his physician, started to investigate the San Francisco region, as
upon his decision rested the selection of the site. The bay was pretty
well explored, and the site chosen, near a spring and creek, which was
named from the day,--the last Friday in Lent,--_Arroyo de los Dolores_.
Hence the name so often applied to the Mission itself: it being commonly
known even to-day as "Mission Dolores."
His duty performed, Anza returned south, and Rivera appointed Lieutenant
Moraga to take charge of the San Francisco colonists, and on July 26,
1776, a camp was pitched on the allotted site. The next day a building
of tules was begun and on the twenty-eighth of the same month mass was
said by Padre Palou. In the meantime, the vessel "San Carlos" was
expected from Monterey with all needful supplies for both the _presidio_
and the new Mission, but, buffeted by adverse winds, it was forced down
the coast as far as San Diego, and did not arrive outside of what is now
the bay of San Francisco until August 17.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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