Mission San Francisco Solano
located in Sonoma, California
by Glenda Klaucke
John Swett Elementary
Martinez, California
Mission San Francisco Solano was the last of the California missions to be built. It is the only California mission built during the Mexican rule.
History:
Prior to the building of this mission most of the bay area Indians had been gathered and sent to one of the southern missions. Father Jose Altimira , who was stationed at Mission Dolores in San Francisco, favored shutting down that mission and the San Rafael hospital mission. His suggestion was to build one further north where the weather was better. He felt that the poor health of many of the Indians was caused by the foggy, damp weather. His request was denied by Father Presidente Vicente Francisco de Sarria, the chief administrator of the California Missions. Many in the diocese felt the era of the mission was coming to a close.
Later Governor Luis Arguello saw the potential of having a mission north of San Francisco. He felt that a mission presence would slow down the spread of the Russians who had established a colony at Fort Ross. Governor Arguello convinced Father Presidente Sarria to okay the building of a mission north of San Francisco in order to preserve their territory of Alta California.
The Petaluma area was explored but inadequate water led Father Altimira to Sonoma Valley where an underground spring was located. The valley offered better weather, good sources of water, longer growing season, thousands of acres of grazing land and the availability of building materials. On July 4, 1823 , Father Altimira founded the new San Francisco Mission de Solano. It was named after Father San Francisco Solano, a 17th century missionary to Peru. Missions Dolores and San Rafael were not closed but supplied volunteer Indian laborers and supplies for the founding of the mission. Mission San Francisco Solano became the 21st mission built in California.
Construction began in October 1823 led by Father Altimira. The coast Miwok Indians came back as soon as construction began. The Indians constructed a temporary wooden chapel in the palisade style tying logs together with leather ropes to form walls and covering with a thatch roof. On April 4, 1824, the chapel was dedicated and the first baptisms performed. Adobe buildings began to take shape. Father Altimira proved to be a good administrator but had difficulty relating to the Indians. Discontent erupted in 1826 when some Indians stole part of the harvest and burned some of the temporary wooden buildings. Discouraged, Father Altimira ask for a transfer to another mission. Later he returned to Spain.
Father Buenaventura Fortuni , an aging priest, from Mission San Jose was assigned to replace Father Altimira. He quickly brought order and high morale to the building of the mission. By 1832 Father Fortuni had led the construction and organization of Mission San Francisco Solano into a thriving self-supporting mission. The main buildings were arranged around a large, square courtyard. There was a 27 room dwelling for the priest and guests of the mission, a great adobe church at one end, and a wooden storehouse at the other. There were also workshops where the Indians were taught to be craftsmen. Along the back of the courtyard were the living quarters and workrooms for the young Indian girls. In addition, outside the mission compound, there were orchards, walled vineyards, a gristmill, houses for the soldiers, a jail, a cemetery and an infirmary. Over 10,000 acres of land were being used to raise sheep, cattle and crops with 996 Indians in residence. Five or six hundred Indians were kept busy looking after the 5,000 sheep and 2,000 head of cattle. The mission produced everything they needed, making it self-supporting. Mission San Francisco Solano had become one of the most successful of all the missions.
In 1832, with the mission construction completed and the mission running smoothly Father Fortuni requested a transfer to a mission where he could share the duties of running the mission. In 1833 Father Gutierrez was assigned to Mission San Francisco Solano at Sonoma.
Shortly afterward, Mexico won their independence from Spain. In 1834, the Mexican government secularized the missions . The mission churches were to belong to the people. The assets of the mission were to return to the Indians. Mexico had won independence from Spain and the Spanish priests were to leave.
General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, age 27, was sent by Governor Figueroa as Military Commander and Director of Colonization of the Northern Frontier. He was to take charge of the mission, establish the parish church, free the Indian workers and distribute the mission lands and assets to the population. He was granted 44,000 acres in the Petaluma Valley to develop a private rancho.
For the first couple of years General Vallejo and his troops lived in the mission. The town of Sonoma was established, near the original mission, using foreign carpenters. The Mexican government had freed up the ports of California which the Spanish had kept closed. Foreign carpenters could now enter the California territory. The carpenters in need of building materials began taking apart the mission. The first to go were the hard to make red roof tiles of the church. All but a few rooms of the priest's house were looted.
The mission began a long and slow decline. The original adobe church on the east side collapsed in the late 1830's. It was replaced by a smaller adobe chapel in 1841. This small chapel was built on the west side of the priest's quarters. Other parts of the mission were taken apart for their adobe bricks, roof tiles and timbers.
In 1881, the mission was sold to a local businessman, Solomon Schoken for $3,000 because the parishioners felt it was "too cold and damp". A new and larger church was being built a few blocks away. After 1881 the chapel and its adjoining residence building were used at various times as a barn, winery, blacksmith shop and hennery. Mr. Schoken later sold the mission for $3,000 to the California Landmarks League for eventual preservation. In 1906 it was given to the state for complete restoration. .
After a few good earthquakes, including the big one in 1906, the mission was reduced to a couple of crumbling old adobes. In 1909 restoration began. By 1913, the two crumbling old adobe buildings had been reconstructed to become a museum of Sonoma history. After the 1940's, the former chapel and priest's house were remodeled along more authentic lines devoted to mission history.
Today the mission buildings are listed as State Historic Landmark Number 3. The mission is now part of The Sonoma State Historic Park and is operated by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
Back to Mission San Francisco Solano Homepage