Picture taken 1:15pm 22 Apr 2001 Mission San Miguel Arcángel was founded 25 July 1797 (16th in order) by Padre Fermin Francisco de Lasuén. The mission is named for Saint Michael the Archangel. The Indian name was Vahiá (Vatica), or Chulam (Cholame). Many of the original decorations and paintings in the mission have survived until […]
Trip Plans
26 January 2016 (last updated)
History to date and plans: Mission Tour is now in a combination of research and planning and tourist visits. The Web site outline is complete and maps are present based on my trip research (these and the text posted with them may be modified once I actually get to the missions–but I believe they are […]
Mission San Luis Obispo Fiestas
4 September 2015 (last updated)
The missions have always been the center of activities for the area where the missions were established. This continues to today and many missions have various fiestas and festivals. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa is no exception… I Madonnari (renamed to Via dei Colori SLO) This festival is an Italian chalk art festival. It […]
Mission San Fernando Map
19 August 2015 (last updated)
When you enter the Gift Shop, after parking and pay a nominal fee for entry to the mission proper, you will be given a map that looks just like this (click on the map for a larger view)… The parking area is in the lower right. You enter the mission proper through the gift shop. […]
MissionTour Bookstore
27 July 2015 (last updated)
A variety of books about the California missions are available in our bookstore. In cooperation with Amazon.com, I’m pleased to offer you these selections. (These are suggestions, not recommendations. Amazon.com, like all other e-commerce sites, collects personal information as part of the purchase. Please read their privacy statement for details. Also note that purchases made […]
Two Forgotten Missions
27 July 2015 (last updated)
While rummaging around in some old maps I came upon a 1956 AAA map of The Missions, Presidios, Pueblos and Some of the More Interesting Ranchos of Spanish California. I was surprised to see 23 Missions listed instead of the normal 21. The two additional Missions were near Yuma, in California by the Colorado River. […]
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
23 May 2015 (last updated)
Picture taken 1:35pm 8 Jul 2001 Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was founded 1 September 1772 (5th in order) by Saint Junípero Serra. The mission is named for Saint Luis, Bishop of Toulouse. The Native American name for the region was Tishlini. The mission is the halfway point in the chain and is often […]
Mission San Francisco Solano Chapel
19 May 2015 (last updated)
The chapel you see today was built by General Mariano Vallejo between 1840 and 1841. It replaced the original church which was at the other side (east side) of the Mission (three houses sit there today). Below you should see a rotating panorama of the complete inside of the Mission Church. You should be able […]