 | 21st Mission State Historic Landmark Number 3 |
Naming of Mission:
The mission was named after Father San Francisco Solano, a
17th century missionary to Peru.
Location:
between Santa Rosa and Napa on State Highway 12
History:
Father Jose Altimira at Mission Dolores in San Francisco wanted
to build a mission further north where the weather was not so
damp. He thought the Indians here were becoming sick due to this
type of weather. Many of the Indians in this area were sent to
more southern missions to help their health improve. The Father
petitioned the administrator of the missions for the founding
of a new mission, but his request was not approved.
better. He felt that the poor health of many of the Indians was
caused by the foggy, damp weather. The Governor at the time, Luis
Arguello, felt that a more northern mission would help to slow
down the presence of the Russians. He was able to influence Father
Presidente Sarria to authorize the building of this new mission.
Though he first looked in the Petaluma area, more adequate water
was found in the Sonoma Valley near an underground spring. The
abundance of good water and better weather with a longer growing
season would make this a good spot for the new mission. Father
Altimira founded the San Francisco Solano mission on 4 July 1823.
Other nearby missions helped with supplies at first until the
mission could become self sufficient.
The construction was finally started in October of 1823. The Miwok
Indians came back to help with the building of the mission. They
erected a temporary chapel with logs and a thatch roof. The chapel
was dedicated on 4 April 1824. Gradually other adobe buildings
were built. Father Altimira ran the mission well, but was not
good with the local Indians. There began to be some trouble at
the mission and finally, in 1826, some of the harvest was stolen
and some of the wooden buildings were burned. Father Altimira
did not feel he could stay and asked to be transferred. He later
returned to his native Spain.
The priest chosen to replace him was Father Buenaventura Fortuni. He was much older, but was able to bring the mission back into harmony. By 1832, the mission had become self-supporting and thriving. The mission consisted of a large adobe church and a 27 room building to house the priest and guests. There were workshops and livings quarters for the Indians people who lived at the mission. Outside the compound, there were many of the places which assisted the mission to self-sufficiency, such as orchards, vineyards, a gristmill, a cemetery and an infirmary. They had over 10,000 acres of land for grazing and crops. The mission had 5,000 sheep and 2,000 head of cattle. Though it was the last of the missions, it finally became the most successful of them all.
When Father Fortuni needed to transfer to a mission where his
duties could be shared, he was replaced in 1933 with Father Gutierrez.
A short time later, in 1834, the missions were secularized. Governor
Figueroa sent General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo to be the area
military commander and direct the area as it changed from the
Church to the public. He was also granted 44,000 acres for his
own private ranch. General Vallejo and his group lived there at
the mission for a number of years. The town of Sonoma was also
developed nearby. Foreign carpenters began to enter the area after
the Mexican government freed the ports. To find building materials,
these carpenters began to take apart the mission with the red
roof tiles being the first items to go. Only a few rooms were
left intact. When the original church fell in during the late
1830's, a smaller chapel was built in 1841. In 1881, the mission
was sold to Solomon Schoken. The people felt the church was too
cold and damp and didn't want to meet there anymore. It was then
used as a barn, winery, blacksmith shop and hennery. Mr. Schoken
sold the mission to the California Landmarks League and in 1906,
it was donated to the state for restoration.
Several earthquakes in the early 1900's sent the remaining buildings
to the ground, but restoration began anyway starting in 1909.
Gradual restoration began over the years with much of the work
completed by the 1940's. The mission is now part of the Sonoma
State Historic Park and is listed as State Historic Landmark Number
3.
Contact the Mission:
San Francisco Solano Mission
20 E. Spain Street
Sonoma, CA 95476
Mailing address:
114 East Spain Street
Sonoma, CA 95476
Open 10:00 am-5:00 pm
School Tour Reservations (707) 938-1519
Mission Trivia:
Mission San Francisco Solano was the last of the 21 California missions to be built.
This is the only California mission built during the Mexican rule.
The mission is California State Historic Landmark No. 3
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