San Luis Obispo County CA Archives Photo Place.....San Miguel Arcangel 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com November 23, 2006, 10:00 pm

Source:             Discovering San Luis Obispo County
Photo can be seen at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/sanluisobispo/photos/sanmigue45gph.jpg
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MISSION SAN MIGUEL ARCANGEL

History and Description:

The mission, located in San Miguel, California, was founded by the Franciscan
Padres in 1797 to better facilitate travel, between Mission San Luis Obispo and
Mission San Antonio.

In August of 1806, a fire broke out and destroyed two rows of buildings and part
of the church roof.  Years of wheat and provisions were totally lost.  By the
end of the year, new buildings were completed and tile roofs were added.

In 1816, the present Mission Church was begun.  After the stone foundation was
laid, work proceeded quickly with adobe that had been made in the preceding
several years.  By 1818, the church was ready for roofing.  In 1821, Esteban
Munras of Monterey arrived to supervise the interior decorations.  The church is
144 feet long, with walls that are 6 feet thick and 27 feet wide.

In 1836, Ignacio Coronel assumed jurisdiction over the mission property for the
civil government.  Within three years, all the Indians were gone and the mission
was impoverished.  The last resident Franciscan, Padre Abella, died in 1841.

In 1846, the mission was sold to Petronillo Rios and an Englishman, William
Reed, who set up a pueblo.  The Reeds were murdered in 1848 and for several
years the mission was rented and used for a saloon, dance hall, store-rooms,
barns and living quarters.

In 1859, the United States returned the mission to the church.

In 1878, Father Philip Farrelly was sent to the Mission as the resident Padre,
after 38 years of being without one.  Several attempts at restoration of the
Mission were made with the limited funds available.

In 1929, the Mission was returned to the control of the Franciscan Friars. 
Restoration of the roof beams was begun immediately and other needed restoring
was begun in an attempt to keep the Mission as authentic as possible.  Today the
Mission is a parish Church as well as a house of study for young men seeking to
become Franciscans.  Many of the original decorations are still intact.  It has
the best preserved interior of any of the California Missions and stands as an
authentic reminder of the past.

Sources:
"Mission San Miguel, A California Heritage", leaflet "Mission San Miguel
Arcangel", Eva C. Iversen



Additional Comments:
Extracted from

Discovering San Luis Obispo County
by
Carleton M. Winslow

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/sanluisobispo/photos/sanmigue45gph.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cafiles/

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