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My original destination today was Mission San Gabriel, nine miles east of downtown Los Angeles and one of the twenty one missions in California. However, a day trip to one of the missions turned out to be much more. I found out that the mission is located within the Historic Mission District of San Gabriel which includes a historical walk containing numerous historical buildings and points of interest. The rich history of the City of San Gabriel dates back to 1771 with the founding of the Mission San Gabriel Archangel and establishes San Gabriel as the birthplace of the Los Angeles region. The Mission San Gabriel Arcangel, "Pride of the California Missions," founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1771, is the fourth of twenty-one California Missions, and has long been a center for culture and art. As the original and oldest settlement north of San Diego and south of San Luis Obispo, it is from San Gabriel that the City of Los Angeles and the greater metropolitan area were established.
Diversity is not new to San Gabriel. From its earliest days, the City of San Gabriel has been a place for people of different cultures, beliefs and values to come together. The community was created when Father Junipero Serra, a Spanish priest, and the Tongva (Gabrielino) Indians came together to build a magnificent Mission in 1771. It is located in the mid-west portion of the City within the City's historic core, which contains several other historic buildings and sites exhibiting Spanish, Native American and early American history. Since its founding, San Gabriel has opened its doors to people of all races and cultures.
This longevity and rich history has allowed the city to grow with pride, vision and imagination. By 1852 after American occupation, San Gabriel became one of the first townships in the County of Los Angeles. When the 1860 census was taken, there were only 586 persons listed. The city was incorporated as a general law city on April 24, 1913 with a population of 1,500.
The walking tour of the historic mission district began at Smith Park near the mission. Here, in the vicinity of this park and the Mission San Gabriel, stood the Gabrielino-Tongva town of Sibangna, a community of perhaps 150 or more men,women and children .The Gabrielino-Tongva were the indigenous people occupying present-day Los Angeles County and Orange County. Among the most sophisticated, complex and wealthiest people of Southern California, they included more than 5,000 people inhabiting towns and settlements from the foothills to the coast, and beyond to Catalina and the Channel Islands. During the 1700s and 1800s, many Gabrielino-Tongva were incorporated into mission life. The decline of traditional towns and loss of hunting and gathering areas, forced the Gabrielino-Tongva to abandon their lifestyle and seek work throughout the region .The early infrastructure of the Los Angeles region including the missions was built with their labor. Despite the dramatic changes in their lifestyle and culture, the Gabrielino-Tongva never left their homeland. They have always been here. The park is dedicated to the Gabrielino-Tongva and their descendents living in the San Gabriel Valley. CITY HALL-The next stop along the historic walk is the site of the present City Hall was donated to the City in 1922 by Walter P. Temple. His father, Francis Pliny Fiske Temple, traveled by ship “ A round the Horn” to California in 1841 to join his brother who had opened the first mercantile store in Los Angeles. Francis later married Margarita Workman. Her father, William Workman , organized with James Rowland the first wagon train to Southern California over the Santa Fe Trail, arriving in 1841.The Temple-Workman families were involved in much of the history and development of this area ,including the founding of Temple City and donation of land for public use in many of the nearby towns. The millstone near the City Hall steps commemorates the Chapman Mill, built nearby in 1823 by Joseph Chapman , a New Englander captured first by pirates and then by the Spanish in California. His skill at building dams and mills was invaluable to the Fathers here and at other Missions. ARCADE SHOPS-Nestled up against the City Hall are the arcade shops. Built as the Temple Block, the arcades now shelter interesting shops and businesses. The corner building was the San Gabriel Post Office in the 1920’s . A plaque commemorating the July 30, 1994 dedication of the Mission District Project is located in front of the Arcade Plaza. Near the Fine Arts Association on Mission Drive is the Ramona Museum of California History.The museum offers an eclectic collection of early California artifacts and memorabilia. OLD GRAPEVINE—Kitty corner from the Aracade Shops is the Old Grapevine which was at one time a hotel and vineyard. The façade of the Old Grapevine now looks like ruins of a mission and is once again abandoned. The Old Grapevine holds a small segment of the original vine whose trellised branches once cove red 10,000 square feet . It was a popular local gathering place where refreshments were served under the vine. Started as a cutting from the “Mother Vine” at the Mission, many local vineyards began from cuttings of this vine.The San Gabriel Winery was among the world’s largest in the late 1800’s , until a blight wiped out the vineyards and oranges became the main agricultural crop of the area .Today the park is once again a popular place for weddings ,parties and social gatherings. In addition there is the Grapevine Room. The Grapevine Room was built in recent years on the site of the old Grapevine Inn, often referred to as the “ birthplace of Ramona” because Helen Hunt Jackson began writing her famous book about the California Indians while staying at the hotel. She used the name of a local resident, Ramona Shorb (cousin of General George S. Patton ,J r.), for the name of her heroine. The MISSION PLAYHOUSE-A short ½ block walk up from the Old Vineyard is The Mission Playhouse, now the San Gabriel Civic Auditorium, was built by John Steven McGroarty to present his epic “ Mission Play” when it outgrew its original building in Plaza Park. The play told the story of the California Missions and the lives of the people around them. Beginning in 1912, it drew people from all over the world to San Gabriel for 20 years and 3,500 performances. The new playhouse was completed for the 1927 season, with stage and dressing rooms large enough to accommodate the cast of 150 for the 4 1/2 hour production .The exterior is patterned after the Mission San Antonio De Padua and the interior décor is a blend of Spanish, Indian and Mexican influences. In the courtyard on the north side are replicas of all 21 California Missions. The Playhouse was acquired by the City in 1945, fulfilling McGroarty’s wish that it belong forever to the people. He went on to become a two-term Congressman, and was Poet Laureate of California from 1933 until his death in 1944 . The theater is now a modern facility that is the home of many current arts, music, and theater performances.SALCIDO STORE-A half block futher up the street from the Civic Auditorium is what used to be the Salcido Store, now the San Gabriel Parks & Recreation Dept., this building dates from 1915 and was the only General Store for miles around. The Salcido Store served residents of the area with basic necessities – farm implements, clothing, and bags and bushels of foodstuffs. Later, the building was used as a blacksmith’s shop with an outdoor forge. In the 1950’s it was a Municipal Court building. While much altered , the original cast stone construction is still visible on the south and east walls. HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION MUSEUM, HAYES HOUSE AND OLD JAIL Directly behind the Civic Auditorium and Salcido Store is an old house that houses the historical association, museum and old jail. The Historical Association houses a collection of pictures and other research materials, as well as many artifacts which illustrate life in San Gabriel through its long history. This small Victorian House built in 1887 by George Findley Bovard (later Chancellor of USC) was purchased in 1893 by Milton Scott Wilson, whose family lived in it for the next 97 years. Wilson was Justice of the Peace for San Gabriel Township so many weddings took place in the parlor. In 1904, his daughter, Mary Letitia, married Edwin Hayes , who was the Agent at the Southern Pacific Depot until his retirement in 1941. He was also a member of the first City Council in 1913.Their daughter, Mary Ruth Hayes (1907-1990), was born in this house and lived here all her life. She was a teacher and later District Library and Audio-Visual Coordinator in the San Gabriel School District . Her will left the house and its contents to the Historical Association. The home reflects the lives of one family in San Gabriel for nearly 100 years. The jail is/was a small stone milk house on the Wilson-Hayes property was used as the jail when Saturday night in the taverns along Mission Drive got too wild and arrests were made by Judge Wilson’s son, Deputy Sheriff George Lee Wilson . Prisoners were held here until they could be taken in to the Los Angeles County Jail on Monday morning. After visiting these numerous historical buildings and sites, I continued back along the historic walk to my primary destination which was the Mission San Gabriel and Mission Plaza. Located in front of the Old Mission San Gabriel is a park. In the center of the park is the Bicentennial Fountain built in 1976 to celebrate our nation’s 200th birthday. The Juan Bautista De Anza National Historic Trail comes through San Gabriel. I’ve been on other portions of the De Anza Trail which dates back to 1774, an exploratory trip through uncharted wilderness to discover a land route from Sonora, Mexico, to California. The plaque next to the South entrance door to the Mission marks the famous 1776 trek bringing over 200 settlers, the first to come overland from Sonora, who went on to found the City of San Francisco. The two most distinct features of the Mission can be seen from the park. The outside stairway leads to the choir loft. The Bell Tower holds six bells with long and interesting histories. After a little research with a docent, I learned the following history of the bells of the mission: Top Bell: Cast by G. H olbrook of Massachusetts, an apprentice of Paul Revere.Center row, left: The gift of a Russian sea Captain, cast in Russia. Center row, center: also cast by G. Holbrook Center row, right : An “Ave Maria” bell cast in Spain Bottom row, left: La Gorda , was ordered from Mexico in 1830. A request was filed at the time of the order asking that the bell be loud enough to be heard for nine miles, thus reminding Los Angeles of a borrowed bell which they had not returned. The bell was returned in 1930. Bottom row, right: Second of the “ Ave Maria” bells. After exploring the exterior of the Mission I continued on into the mission and explored this historical site from inside. In 1771, there were two missions in California - at San Diego and Carmel, well over 400 miles apart. When more Franciscan missionaries arrived at Father Serra's headquarters that year, he decided to build more missions to close the gaps. In the summer of 1771, two more missions were established: San Antonio de Padua and San Gabriel Mission. San Gabriel Mission, named for the Arcangel Gabriel, was founded on September 8, 1771 by Fathers Pedro Cambon and Angel Somera. It was the fourth in a chain of 21. The original plan was to place it on the Santa Ana River, but when the founders arrived, they went further inland to found the mission near the San Gabriel River. Legend claims that the native chiefs tried to prevent the fathers from building. The fathers, afraid of a bloody battle, showed the chiefs a painting of Our Lady of Sorrows and the chiefs immediately threw down their bows and arrows The Indians were friendly in the beginning and helped with the building. Baptisms began immediately after the founding. However, relationships with the Indians turned bad because of the soldiers. One of the soldiers attacked a chieftain's wife and killed her husband when he objected. Fortunately, the fathers acted quickly and had the guilty soldier sent to another station. In 1774, Juan Bautista de Anza arrived from Mexico City, establishing a land route that placed San Gabriel Mission near a busy crossroads. Its location made it one of the most important missions. In 1775, the fathers found a better site closer to the mountains and it was moved. In 1776, Fathers Sanchez and Cruzado took over the mission. They ran it for the next thirty years. They began church construction in 1779. In 1781, two fathers, several Indians and eleven families left and traveled nine miles west to form El Pueblo de Nuestra la Reina del Los Angeles (The City of our Lady Queen of the Angels), the present city of Los Angeles. After Mexico won independence from Spain, the missions were secularized. Originally, the lands were supposed to be transferred to the natives, but in the end most of the land fell into the hands of dishonest politicians and their friends, and the place was turned over to a civil administrator in 1834. Within ten years, the San Gabriel Mission was stripped of all its valuables. Pio Pico tried to sell the mission to a friend, but he was stopped when United States soldiers arrived. In 1862, Congress returned the land to the Catholic church. San Gabriel Mission was used as a parish church until 1908, when the Claretian fathers began to rebuild it. The 1987 Whitter earthquake damaged it, and repairs and restoration are now complete. San Gabriel Mission is an integral part of Los Angeles history and even pre-dates the founding of the city of Los Angeles and was an important key in the founding of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the state of California. |
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