Adventure 049/101 - 21 : Mission San Francisco Solano

 










Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 049/ 101 - 21 : Mission San Francisco Solano, 21st mission

Team: Thing One, Thing Two 

Date:  September 21, 2012

 Location: Sonoma

 








 
Description:

We got into Sonoma, which is where Mission San Francisco Solano is located, around 6:00pm. As we wandered around the plaza area, we were steadily moving towards the mission. We realized it would be closed, but we were hoping to get a good feel for it just the same.

Mission Solano is one of the two missions which are State Historical Parks. We suspect that because it is a place preserved, with the State's backing, you got a good feel for how it would have been 200 years ago. On the other hand, you missed the “catholicness” of the other missions, even the most run down mission there was an air of reverence when you walked inside of the chapel area. We were not able to go inside of the mission because of the hour, but we missed the sense of spirituality. One thing which we did see is on the side of the mission is a memorial naming all Native American's who were buried in the mission cemetery. This seemed so important to us that how the early missions was a protectorate for the Native Americans.

On this note, team Thing One, Thing Two have visited all 21 missions this year. This has been one of the highlights of Capture California. Visiting each mission, getting a feel for the peoples, the purpose of the mission. While the missions had a lot of flaws, it also was there to bring good to the area. In a lot of ways, it was a counter-balance to the military aspects of Spanish conquest.

From Wikipedia site:

The mission was built by the Mexican authorities as a barrier to Russia's attempts to extend control to the federal territory of Alta California.[8] During the years the Mission was active, General Mariano Vallejo resided in town. He was tasked with monitoring the activities of Russia at their nearby settlement of Fort Ross (krepost' rus'), and with establishing peaceful relations with the Native Americans of the region.[9] Vallejo helped to build the town of Sonoma and even paid for the rebuilding of the small Mission chapel. There were always soldiers and settlers in the town of Sonoma during the Mexican period. The Franciscan Fathers grew grapes and produced sacramental wine from the first vineyard in the Sonoma Valley, which was first planted in 1825. By 1834, Vallejo had the Rancho Petaluma Adobe built a few miles to the west, which became a large agricultural operation to support the Spanish military here.[10] By 1839, the Mission was in ruins and unoccupied. Through the years the Mission saw many different uses, among these a blacksmith's shop, a barn, and even a storeroom. In 1846, white American settlers took over the town in what has come to be known as the "Bear Flag Revolt." It was during this time that the Mission was sold to a man who used the chapel entrance as a saloon and stored his liquor and hay in the chapel.

From California Missions Resource Center site:

Mission Church: The current church is an authentic restoration of the 1840 church, rebuilt in 1911-13 with the support of the Historic Landmark League, which acquired the property in 1903. The last major restoration was in 1943-44. The church measures 105 feet long and is 22 feet wide.
Significant Event(s): The Bear Flag Revolt of June 14, 1846, declaring California a Republic, was staged directly across from the mission.

Interesting Facts: 

The mission was established by an overly eager padre acting without church approval.
The Sonoma Mission is the only mission established during Mexican rule of Alta California.
General Mariano Vallejo, who became Director of Colonization of the Northern Frontier in 1835, and who had control of Sonoma until the American takeover, "rescued" all the plantings from the mission vineyard after secularization and replanted the vines at his ranch.
The names of the Indian neophytes of the Sonoma Mission have been carved into a commemorative wall on the west side of the mission church.

From California State Parks site:

Founded in 1823 on July 4 by Father Jose Altimira, this historic mission is the site of the Bear Flag Revolt and the effort to establish the Republic of California in 1846. The church seen today is a parish church built in 1840; the original was mostly washed away by a tremendous thunderstorm. A small portion of the original quadrangle exists, and the world-famous Sebastiani Vineyards include much of the original mission vineyard. The annual Vintage Festival is the oldest in the state, and each year the blessing of the grapes is performed by a Franciscan priest in front of the mission. A small museum is housed in the former padres wing with a display of California mission paintings.
 20 E. Spain St., Sonoma, 95476, (707) 938-1519