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HomeTopics...Us Vacation SpotsCalifornia History
California's History: Rich in Missions and GoldA rich history makes traveling through California a wonderful adventure. From missions to ghost towns, many of these relics are still standing. Visit them to learn more about California.
California Missions and El Camino RealIn 1769, Father Junipero Serra established the first California mission, one of twenty-one California missions established to convert Native Americans to Christianity. Over the next 54 years, the other twenty California missions sprung up along El Camino Real. Now Highway 101, El Camino Real, or "The King's Highway," was strategically close to waterways, which provided rich soil for planting corn, wheat and other staples of California mission living. From 1769 to 1823, California mission settlements, the state's earliest communities, grew from as far south as San Diego to Sonoma, just north of San Francisco.
The California missions saw their own share of prosperity and contention. When Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1834, Mexico couldn't afford the upkeep of the California missions and secularized them. Abraham Lincoln returned the California missions to the Catholic Church in 1863. In the twentieth century several restoration efforts have been put in place to restore or rebuild these historical gems of California.
Visiting California MissionsA day's travel in the 1800s separated the California missions, established over 650 miles on El Camino Real. By today's standards, the California missions are located near enough to each other to vacation their historical timeline. While certain events highlight each California mission, some are better known. San Juan Capistrano, also known as the "Jewel of the Missions," located in Orange County, has its own rich history. It was the only mission to be founded twice and is renowned for the swallows that return to nest in its Church's steeples every March 19th (Saint Joseph's Day).
Original paintings still hang in Mission San Miguel, movies are filmed in Mission San Fernando and the Franciscan order still runs Mission Santa Barbara. Mission Carmel is the final resting place of Father Junipero Serra.
The California Gold RushNot long after the California missions were established a new kind of settlement was taking place in the eastern part of the state. A man named John Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill. Word got out and before long the 1949 Gold Rush of California began. They were exciting times in California history but also troubling times. With gold came greed and crime.
Gold rush towns grew around areas that promised good mining. So many people came to California during that time that by 1864, the gold had been mined and over-mined. With the absence of gold, many felt unsafe and uncertain living with those they didn't trust. A new exodus left towns completely empty save for the buildings that occupied them. Today some of these empty towns, known as ghost towns, are still standing. The California parks department maintains towns like Bodie, founded by William Bodey in 1877. Today, visitors can travel to Bodie State Historic Park, northeast of Yosemite, and visit the old ghost town. Visitors can also see Marshall Gold Discovery State Park and see where John Marshall first found gold.
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