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William Henry Hudson - The Famous Missions of California
the station and harbour - imposing ceremonies of foundation were performed. A wooden church was then
built; and on the 9th of October, in the presence of many witnesses, Father Palou said mass, the image of
St. Francis was borne about in procession, and the mission solemnly dedicated to his name[4].
It was at San Luis Obispo on his way back from San Diego to Monterey, that Father Junipero learned of
the foundation of the mission at San Francisco, and though he may doubtless have felt some little regret
at not having himself been present on such an occasion, his heart overflowed with joy. For there was a
special reason why the long delay in carrying out this portion of his plan had weighed heavily upon him.
Years before, when the visitador general had told him that the first three missions in Alta California were
to be named after San Diego, San Carlos and San Buenaventura (for such, we recollect, had been the
original programme), he had exclaimed: - "Then is our father, St. Francis, to have no mission?" And
Galvez had made reply: - "If St. Francis desires a mission, let him show us his port, and he shall have one
there." To Junipero it had seemed that Portolā had providentially been led beyond Monterey to the Bay
of San Francisco, and the founder of his order had thus given emphatic answer to the visitador's words. It
may well be imagined that he was ill at rest until the saint's wishes had been carried into effect.
But this was not the only good work done in the north while Junipero was busy elsewhere; for on the
12th of January, 1777, the Mission of Santa Clara was established in the wonderfully fertile and beautiful
valley which is now known by that name. The customary rites were performed by Father Tomas de la
Peņa, a rude chapel erected, and the work of constructing the necessary buildings of the settlement
immediately begun[5]. It should be noted in passing that before the end of the year the town of San Jose -
or, to give it its full Spanish title, El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe - was founded near by. This has
historic interest as the first purely civil settlement in California. The fine Alameda from the mission to
the pueblo was afterwards made and laid out under the fathers' supervision.
[4] This is now colloquially known as the Mission Dolores. Its proper title is, however, Mission of San
Francisco de Assis. It originally stood on the Laguna de los Dolores (now filled up) ; and hence its
popular name.
[5] The site originally chosen lay too low, and from the outset danger of inundation was foreseen. A
flood occurred in 1779, and in 1784 the mission was removed to higher ground. The present buildings
date from 1825-26.
VII.
Though Junipero's subordinates had thus done without him in these important developments at San
Francisco and Santa Clara, he still resolved to go north, both to visit the new foundations and to inspect
for himself the marvellous country of which he had heard much, but which he had not yet seen. As usual,
he was long detained by urgent affairs, and it was not till autumn that he succeeded in breaking away. He
made a short stay at Santa Clara, and then pushed on to San Francisco, which he reached in time to say
mass on St. Francis' day. After a ten days' rest, he crossed to the presidio and feasted his eyes on the
glorious vision of the Golden Gate - a sight which once seen is never to be forgotten. "Thanks be to
God!" he cried, in rapture (these, says Palou, were the words most frequently on his lips); "now our
Father St. Francis, with the Holy Cross of the procession of missions, has reached the ultimate end of this
continent of California. To go further ships will be required!" Yet his joy was tempered with the thought
that the eight missions already founded were very far apart, and that much labour would be necessary to
fill up the gaps.
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