The original Mission San Luis de Francia was founded in 1798, the eighteenth of the twenty-one Spanish missions built in the Alta California Province. At its prime, the mission controlled 950,400 acres of land, had 26,000 head of cattle, goats, pigs, and geese, making it one of the largest missions in California. In honor of the mission, Indian tribes that lived in the area were called "Luisenos."
After the Mexican Secularization Act of 1833, most of the Mission's lands were sold. Then, following the Mexican-American War (1846-1847), the Mission complex became a United States Army outpost. An Indian sub-agency was established at the Mission and Jesse Hunter from the Mormon Battalion was appointed as the sub-agent. Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the Mormon Battalion guide who was the son of Sacagawea and had traveled to the West Coast with Lewis & Clark, was appointed as the Alcalde; but he later resigned because the people thought he was biased toward Indians when problems arose.
In the 1950s, the Zorro TV series was filmed at the Mission and in 1998 (the Mission's 200th anniversary) the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Cappella Giulia Choir of St. Peter's Basilica performed a series of concerts at the Mission. The concerts were the first-ever visit of the 500-year-old Choir to the Western Hemisphere.
Today, Mission San Luis de Francia is a working mission maintained by people that belong to the parish. Mass is held Monday-Friday at Noon and Sundays at 7 AM and 7 PM.
The first Peruvian Pepper Tree in California was planted at the Mission in 1830 and it still survives today. The historic Pepper Tree is visible behind the historic carriage arch and is now known as the California Pepper Tree, which is widely planted throughout California.
Presidio Park in San Diego is the location of the historic San Diego Mission, San Diego Presidio, and Old Town, which in 1769 was the first European settlement in Western United States. In 1773 the mission moved north and the Presidio was gradually abandoned until only ruins remained by 1825. In 1907 the 40-acre site was purchased with private funds and the Serra Museum was constructed on the property in 1925. In 1929, the park and museum were donated to the City of San Diego, which still maintains the facilities.
The museum was not open when we visited the park, but there were a number of mushrooms growing in the grass!
In Old Town, we found Mexican Vanilla without going over the boarder into Old Mexico!
During our visit we decided to take a tour around the City and the bay on what I think was a modified WW II DUKW amphibious vehicle (colloquially known as "Duck"). It was not very fast, but is was fun driving on the streets and then driving into the bay without ever stopping.
We also stopped by the Air and Space Museum; but since I just blogged about the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino, I will not include a lot of airplane pictures.
The highlight of the trip was probably a visit to the San Diego Botanical Gardens (formerly known as the Quail Botanical Gardens). Included in the gardens is a rare bamboo grove that is said to be the largest bamboo collection in the United States. While we were at the gardens, we were also treated to a hot air balloon overflight.
We timed our visit to the gardens so that we could attend a free "Hutchins Consort an Eight Violin Concert for Families" in the evening as the sun was setting over the ocean.
The Hutchins Consort plays on eight scaled violins that range in size from an 18.5-inch treble to a 7.2-foot contrabass. The instruments were designed and built using "an innovative process called free-plate tuning; a precise method of refining the top and back plates of a violin before it is assembled to bring it to peak acoustic performance...Like all violins, these instruments capture the emotional element of the music. But they have the additional advantage of being crafted as a complete set with the same harmonic DNA - giving them the ability to produce a unique array of sounds that adds a new dimension to the works they perform."
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| Photographer Unknown |
BONUS PICTURE (Where did this picture come from?)
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