| "The Great Pathfinder," John C. Fremont (pictured in upper right), made three explorations to California and mapped the American West for the U.S. Topographical Engineers. Kit Carson often guided the explorations and assisted him during the "Bear Flag Revolt" of 1846. As many as 60 ragtag mountain riflemen camped with Fremont near the mission. Together with their cannon, the Fremont battalion was considered a hostile presence by the Californios. Later, after Fremont helped the annexation of California to U.S. territory, he sought to buy what is now the Palmdale Estate, but was discouraged because of speculation of mission secularization lawsuits.
Many Mormons from the "Brooklyn" clipper ship landed in San Francisco in 1846 and immigrated to this area. Among them was John Horner, who purchased lands adjacent to Mission San Jose. These were mission fields that grew wheat ten feet high. Horner later laid out the original town of Union City.
The Gold Rush of 1848 with it’s explosion of immigrants changed the sleepy adobe mission town into a boisterous provision center and gateway to the southern mining districts, such as Sonora.
H.C. Smith, "Father of Alemeda County," opened a general store in the mission wing in 1849 called the CHEAP CASH STORE. This era was the "wild west". A hard-looking set of customers would stand half drunk at the entrance of grog-stores eyeing newcomers scheming how to steal their horses and supplies. Prices were high, shovels sold for $100 each!
The Portuguese from the Azores immigrated to the area after 1850. Europeans who suffered from great famines in their native countries came in large numbers to find land to farm.
The 1868 earthquake devastated the adobe mission structure because side buttresses were removed for "beautification." The Victorians built the wooden French Gothic style St. Joseph church on top the mission tile floor. The church continued to be the spiritual and cultural center for the area for over 100 years.
In 1980 the old St Joseph church was gently relocated and restored in San Mateo to make room for the reconstruction of the original mission. The beautifully restored Victorian rectory (circa 1890) was relocated to Anza street south of the mission.
Plans for the reconstruction of the mission church began in 1973. On June 11, 1982, in a festive ceremony, descendant Phil Galvan, great-grandson of the last Ohlone chief, Chief Tarino, laid the cornerstone for the reconstructed church, completed and dedicated in 1985.
The padres living quarters, the oldest building in Alameda County, now houses a history museum, Plans are currently under way to seismic retrofit this building.
The original Bell Wheel in the upper left hand corner still rings in the sanctuary of the mission. It was used to call the Mission Indians to services.
The original Baptismal Font in the upper right hand corner remains a special treasure in the mission. A hammered copper basin sits in a painted wooden base and was used to baptize 6,500 Indians between 1797 and 1834.
The bottom border depicts the mission quadrangle buildings used as padre’s quarters in the front, mission women’s quarters under guard in the back, and workshops in between.
The flowers show off the lilies of St. Joseph, the Rose of Castille (Father Serra’s favorite) and the California Poppy, native to California.
The top red border shows off the Ohlone Indians and their animals first sighting the Europeans coming with their animals. The grapes were brought by mission fathers although green grapes were growing in the area as a native plant. |
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