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Mission San Gabriel
Mission San Gabriel
Arcangel was established on 8 September 1771 by Fathers Angel Somera
and Pedro Benito Gambon. The fathers had been instructed to build a
mission 40 leagues north of San Diego, and Father-President Junipero
Serra had selected the site himself. Originally built on what is now
Montebello, the mission was moved to its current site of San Gabriel
in 1776 because of flood waters from the Rio Hondo. Although it was
partially destroyed by an earthquake in 1812, the mission was immediately
rebuilt and still stands today in the same location, nine miles east
of downtown Los Angeles.
The mission was
a major stopping point on both Anza expeditions. In fact, during the
second Anza expedition, the colonists remained at the mission for over
a month while Anza, Font and seventeen soldiers traveled to San Diego
with Rivera to assist in the punishment of Indians who had attacked
and burnt the mission there. The colonists took the opportunity to rest
and relax at the mission after their grueling trek through extremely
harsh winter weather.
Following Anza's
visits during the early years of the mission's existence, the establishment
became quite prosperous and earned the sobriquet "Queen of the
Missions." The location of the mission played a large role in its
becoming the heart of agricultural development of the region. It was
situated in a fertile valley with plenty of timber, pasturage and water
for irrigation. It produced sizable crops of corn and beans, as well
as large numbers of cattle. The mission also focused on its most salient
purpose -- the conversion of Indians. Initially, the task of conversion
was made difficult by the antagonistic relationship between the Indians
and the military personnel who helped build the mission and who frequently
traveled through the region. The Indians remained distrustful of the
military, but eventually came to trust the fathers of the mission. As
a result, many Indians were converted to Christianity at San Gabriel.
In addition, many Indians learned useful trades, such as weaving and
leather-working, while living at the mission.
Mission San Gabriel
remained prosperous until its secularization in the mid-nineteenth century.
At this time, all of the mission's vast wealth was turned over to a
secular administrator. Over the next two decades, the mission re-gained
and lost again its lands. Finally, in 1859, U.S. President Buchanan
restored the mission lands to the Catholic church, which administered
the mission as a parish church until 1908. At this time, the mission
and its lands passed into the hands of the Clareton Fathers, who have
retained control to the present day.
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