Founded in 1771, it was the fourth mission established in the Franciscan chain of 21 California Missions.
Its' bell tower and outside stairway are very different from the other Missions, as it is constructed from stone, brick and mortar instead of adobe, with a strong Moorish architectural influence.
The mission land once stretched from the ocean to the mountains to Riverside (nearly the desert) and is known as the “Birthplace of the Los Angeles Region.”
The plaza park Bicentennial Fountain was built in 1976.
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| Gift Shop |
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| Door Within Door |
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Chapel | | Inside Chapel |
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Tinky Winky finds an open Baptismal Font and tries to take a dip.
You can see the Moorish influence: the capped buttresses and tall, narrow windows, which make this mission unique among the California Missions.
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| circa 1900 |
Signage: The Old Spanish Trail (1829-1848) was an historic pack trail connecting Santa Fe to the pueblo of Los Angeles. Travelers from Santa Fe aimed for the San Gabriel Mission as a welcome destination and gathering place. Traders brought woolen goods from New Mexico and returned with highly prized California mules and horses. The trail originated as a trade route from Santa Fe into central Utah during the Spanish Colonial days but was also used as an emigrant trail to California during the Mexican period.
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| Priest Quarters |
There was a blacksmith making the branding mark of the mission.
