2017 June PASO Magazine

S a n Mi g u el R e l e cti o n s
R O U N D T O W N
B y L y n n e
S c h mit z
he Frie n ds of t he A d o bes prese nt
t heir a n n ual Car S h o w feat uri n g t he
M o del A, M o del T a n d Flat hea ds at
t he Ri os Cale d o nia A d o be, 7 0 0 Missi
o n Street, o n J u ne 3 fr o m 1 0 a. m. t o
3 p. m. F o o d a n d bevera ges are availa ble
f or p urc hase. here’s wi ne, live m usic,
t o urs of t he ol d A d o be a n d t he Gift
S h o p is o pe n. he Wally O hles Li brar y
is o pe n o n Fri day after n o o ns.
he A d o be was b uilt i n 1 8 3 5 by
C or p oral Petr o nill o Ri os w he n he was
se nt t o oversee Missi o n Sa n Mi g uel
f oll o wi n g its ille gal sec ularizati o n by
Mexica n G over n or Fi g uer oa. O ver t he
years t he A d o be has bee n a resi de nce,
a n i n n, a sc h o ol a n d sta ge st o p. It was
na me d ‘ Cale d o nia’ i n t he 1 8 6 0s. Ori gi -
nal Hi g h way 1 0 1 a n d t he railr oa d ra n i n
fr o nt of t he b uil di n g – t here is still a secti
o n of t he ol d hi g h way o n t he gr o u n ds.
I n t he mi d- 1 9 0 0s, it was cl ose d a n d
a ba n d o ne d, falli n g i nt o seri o us disre pair.
I n 1 9 6 8, feari n g t he hist oric b uil di n g
w o ul d be t or n d o w n, Frie n ds of t he
A d o bes was i nc or p orate d t o rest ore a n d
preser ve it, part neri n g wit h Sa n L uis
O bis p o C o u nty, w h o a d de d it t o t he
par k syste m.
To day t he gr o u p c o nti n ues t o
mai ntai n b ot h t he Ri os- Cale d o nia
here a n d t he hist oric Estrella A d o -
be o n Air p ort R oa d. F u n d-r aisers
are hel d here t hr o u g h t he year a n d
a n a n n ual me m orial ser vice is hel d
at Estrella A d o be o n Me m orial
Day S u n day. I n 1 9 8 1 at t he be hest
of Frie n ds of t he A d o bes, t he State
De part me nt of Par ks a n d Recre -
ati o n declare d t he site a Calif or nia
Hist oric al L a n d mar k a n d i nstalle d
Mar ker # 9 3 6. here are ni ne i de n -
ti ie d hist oric al sites i n S a n Mi g uel
acc or di n g t o t he Hist oric al Mar ker
Data base we b site. T w o are desi g nat -
e d Calif or nia Hist oric al L a n d mar ks:
t he Ri os- Cale d o nia A d o be a n d Missi
o n S a n Mi g uel Arc a n gel. Calif or nia
Hist oric al Mar ker # 3 2 6 was place d
at Missi o n S a n Mi g uel Arc a n gel i n
1 9 6 6 by t he State Par k C o m missi o n
a n d t he Nati ves S o ns a n d Da u g hters
of t he G ol de n West.
he ic o nic c a m pa nile at t he s o ut h -
er n e n d of t he pr o pert y, b uilt c. 1 9 6 0,
is de dic ate d t o Fr. Fi delis Weila n d,
O F M, w h o was past or at t he Missi o n
i n 1 9 3 2- 3 3. I n 1 9 4 3 he e nliste d i n t he
U S Na v y as a c ha plai n. He was fatall y
i nj ure d w he n his s hi p, t he U S S C o m-
f ort, was attac ke d o n May 4, 1 9 4 5. I n-
si de t he Missi o n m use u m is t he Cr oss
of El Ca mi n o Real, a re m na nt of bar k
wit h a cr oss blaze d i nt o it by earl y
missi o naries w h o use d t he m t o mar k
tr ails bet wee n missi o ns. It was f o u n d
years a g o w he n a t h u n derst or m str uc k
a n d s plit a n oa k tree.
I n t he ‘ S hee p Gate’ a w o o d-
e n pla q ue descri bes t he fertilit y of
s urr o u n di n g la n ds as re p orte d t o
Missi o n f o u n der, Fr. Fer mi n de
L as ue n, i n 1 7 9 5. I n t he Missi o n
ce meter y a lar ge w o o de n si g n h o n -
ors b urials of t he S ali na ns. J ust n ort h
of t he Missi o n is Fr. Re gi nal d Par k,
b uilt a n d mai ntai ne d by t he Nati ve
S o ns.
A m o n u me nt erecte d i n 1 9 3 0 by
t he gr o u p mar ks t he c a pt ure of t he
Missi o n by Lt. C ol. J o h n C. Fre m o nt
a n d c o m pa ny o n Dece m ber 1 0- 1 1,
1 8 4 6. I n S a n Mi g uel Par k, a bell
me m oriali z es t he sc h o ol b uilt o n t hat
site c. 1 8 8 6. A pla q ue i nstalle d i n
2 0 0 3 i n t he si de wal k near t he d o or
of t he El k h or n Bar mar ks its hist or y.
O n s o me mar kers t here may be a
bit of p o p ular l ore or a n err or i n -
cl u de d wit h hist oric al fact b ut gi vi n g
cre de nce t o o ur hist or y is m o n u me n -
tall y i m p orta nt.
3 4 P A S O M aga zi ne, J u ne 2 0 17