Mission Dolores was founded June 26, 1776, by Father Francisco Palou. The official name, Mission San Francisco de Asis, honors Saint Francis of Assisi.
Interesting Facts About Mission Dolores
Mission San Francisco de Asis is also known as Mission Dolores and is the oldest intact building in the city of San Francisco.
In the 1830s, the place began to be called Mission Dolores, after the nearby creek and lagoon, and also so it wasn't confused with Mission San Francisco Solano which is in the town of Sonoma.
1776 - 1800
On June 17, 1776, Lieutenant Jose Moraga, 16 soldiers and a small group of colonists left the Monterey Presidio for San Francisco Bay. The party included wives and children of the soldiers, along with some Spanish-American settlers. They took about 200 head of cattle with them. Most of their supplies were sent by sea in the ship San Carlos, which left at the same time as the land party.
Among the travelers were Fathers Francisco Palou and Pedro Cambon. It took them four days to
travel about 120 miles. When they arrived in what is now San Francisco, they set up a camp on the bank of a lake. Earlier, explorer Juan Bautista de Anza named the lakeLaguna de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores (Lake of Our Lady of Sorrows) which is where the mission got the nickname Mission Dolores.
travel about 120 miles. When they arrived in what is now San Francisco, they set up a camp on the bank of a lake. Earlier, explorer Juan Bautista de Anza named the lakeLaguna de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores (Lake of Our Lady of Sorrows) which is where the mission got the nickname Mission Dolores.
Moraga ordered an arbor to be constructed. The Fathers celebrated the first mass on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul there on June 27, 1776 - just five days before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia. Some people say the mission was founded that day, but the official dedication happened later.
On August 18, the ship San Carlos arrived. Construction of Mission Dolores began immediately, but they had to wait to dedicate the church. The Fathers were waiting to hear from Captain Rivera who didn't want to build Mission Dolores. His superior the Viceroy in Mexico City disagreed and but the Fathers waited for weeks until they got the needed church documents.
The mission was dedicated on October 9. Some people say this date is the official date of the founding, and it is the date that Father Palao recorded in the church records.
The Mexican authorities had promised Father Junipero Serra that he could name the newest in the chain after his patron saint Saint Francisco of Assisi if they found a port. This location had one, so it was named Mission San Francisco de Asis.
Mission Dolores soon became popular with the natives of the area, who enjoyed the food and protection it offered.
Mission Dolores soon became popular with the natives of the area, who enjoyed the food and protection it offered.
Some people say they did not understand the Spaniards' complex religious ideas, while others say the priests were too harsh and strict with them. Whatever the reason, many of them ran away from Mission Dolores (200 in 1796 alone). The problem with runaways was worse in San Francisco than in other places, where the natives had many temptations from the nearby Presidio and other natives across the bay. Runaways also caused tensions with the military, who got tired of going out to retrieve them.
The Mission Dolores church was moved several times before the current chapel was built and completed in 1791.
1800 - 1820
The damp weather and diseases carried by the foreigners took their toll on the native neophytes, and 5,000 of them died during a measles epidemic. The people who survived suffered in the damp climate. In 1817, the Fathers opened a hospital in San Rafael, north of the bay, where the weather was better.
Secularization
In 1834, the Mexican government decided to close all of the California missions and sell the land. Mission Dolores was the first to be secularized. The Indians did not want to come back, and no one would buy it, so it remained the property of the Mexican government. In 1846, California became part of the United States, and American priests took over.
1800 - 1820
The damp weather and diseases carried by the foreigners took their toll on the native neophytes, and 5,000 of them died during a measles epidemic. The people who survived suffered in the damp climate. In 1817, the Fathers opened a hospital in San Rafael, north of the bay, where the weather was better.
Secularization
In 1834, the Mexican government decided to close all of the California missions and sell the land. Mission Dolores was the first to be secularized. The Indians did not want to come back, and no one would buy it, so it remained the property of the Mexican government. In 1846, California became part of the United States, and American priests took over.
When the California Gold Rush began in 1849, the area became a popular place for horse racing, gambling, and drinking. Land reforms took the land away from the natives, and soon there were more Irish than Spanish grave markers in the old cemetery.
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