Mission San Luis Obispo was founded on September 1, 1772 by Father Junipero Serra, Presidente of the California Missions Chain. It was the 5th mission in the 21 mission chain in Alta California. It was named for Saint Louis, Bishop of Toulouse. It is the only mission with an L-shaped church. The mission site was selected as it is midway between San Diego and Monterey. Father Serra left one priest to begin the buildings, Father Jose Cavalier.
When Father Serra left the mission, there was little in the way of food. There were however, many bear. The Indians were grateful for the Spaniards guns that killed the bear as they were giving the Indians a terrible time. The Indians brought food to the soldiers who were helping out with the bear problem. In 1776, a group of hostile Indians attacked the mission with flaming arrows which set the tule roof on fire. The priests knew that a safer roof was needed thus the invention of the clay tile roofs which became standard in all of the missions. The Indians near the mission were from the Chumash tribe.
The economy at Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was similar to the other missions in that they planted crops of wheat and corn. They also planted vineyards, and raised cattle and sheep. The agriculture was needed not only to maintain the mission community and the nearby Indians, but was used for trade and served to visitors to the mission. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa supplied many of the other missions with bear meat which was very plentiful.
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa has always been the center of the community. The entire city of San Luis Obispo and even the county was built up around the mission. The mission has been the center and focal point of the city since the very beginning.
After Mexico won its independence from Spain, it found that it could no longer afford to keep the missions running as Spain had done. In 1834, Mexico decided to end the mission system and sell all of the lands. They offered the lands to the Indians who did not want the lands or could not come up with the purchase price. The lands were divided into smaller Ranchos and sold to Mexican citizens who were helpful during the war for independence. In 1845, Governor Pio Pico declares Mission buildings for sale and he sold everything except the church for a total of $510. After nearly 30 years, the missions were returned to the Catholic Church. Although some of the missions had already been returned to the church, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act declaring that all of the 21 missions in the California mission chain would become the property of the Catholic Church and have remained so since that time.
The mission fell into ruins during the period of secularization and the priest that were left would rent out rooms to help support the mission. The Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa became the first courthouse and jail in the San Luis Obispo County. In 1872, during the 100th anniversary of the mission that improvements began. It wasn't until Father John Harnett came to the mission in 1933 that real restoration began. Harry Downie was in charge of the restoration and it was he who created the L-shaped church to accommodate more people at services.
The San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Mission is still the center of the busy downtown area. The creek by the mission which once supplied water to mission still runs by the main streets in the town and children can be seen playing in the water. The Mission functions as a parish church for the city of San Luis Obispo and although many changes have come to the mission, it remains the center of town.
Objective: answer 7 questions correctly. JavaScript required!
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Juan Bautista de Anza Gaspar de Portola Junipero Serra Father Palou
2. Mission San San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded....?
September 1, 1772 September 21, 1769 May 5, 1783 June 14, 1804
3. Who was the Mission named after?
an explorer St. Louis, Bishop of Toulouse a Franciscan priest Fr. Junipero Serra
4. Why was the location of the Mission important?
It was near water It was midway between San Diego and Monterey The Indians requested the site There were no enemies nearby
5. Who did the actual building of the missions?
construction companies the priests the soldiers the local Indians
6. What happened to the missions in 1834?
They opened The Indians took over Secularization nothing
7. Who was in charge of the restoration of the Mission?
Father John Harnett Father Martinez Sir Harry Downie Franciscan Priests
8. Who was left in charge of the original building of the Mission?
Don Francisco Reyes Pio Pico Father Jose Cavalier Father Serra
9. What happened in 1845?
An earthquake Secularization The Mission was burned to the ground The Mission was sold for $510.00
10. What did Abraham Lincoln agree to in 1863?
Formally return the Mission lands to the Church Run for President of the United States Visit the San Antonio de Padua Mission force the Indians to leave the Mission
California Mission Internet Trail
The Spanish Missions of California
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California Missions
California Mission - History and Facts
This project written by Rob Garretson in partial fulfilment of the Master's of Arts Degree from Cal Poly Pomona
Please send questions and/or comments to Mr. Garretson
This page last updated on February 28, 2015