Palou's 1787 Map of the California's, up close!

Franciscan Padre Palou (in his book about Padre Junípero Serra) included this map. It is the first to show two Californias (New and Old, later Upper and Lower).

The two Californias were the two regions of mission activity, not political division. The Franciscans who had all of California from 1768 to 1773 gave Baja (or Antigua) to the Dominicans to run and build more missions in.

The political separation came in 1804, when a second capital and second governor would be appointed.





Missions open in early 1786 and the Camino Real are shown.

Can you make out the mission names? Maps south to north:


San José (del Cabo), Todos Santos, Santiago, San Franciso Xavier, Loreto, San José de Comondú, La Purísima Concepción, Santa Rosalía de Mulegé, Guadalupe, San Ignacio...





Santa Gertrudis, San Francisco Borja, San Fernando de Velicatá, Nuestra Señora (N.S.) del Rosario, Santo Domingo, San Vicente Ferrer... Then none until San Diego in 1786.





I will return later and add the names on the map in a font everyone can easily read.



[Edited on 1-5-2016 by David K]

Palou's Map, Baja Norte

This was a bit of work... I will add the other two parts of California in the future.

I added a text box with the mission name to the left of where that name is on the map. El Rosario is called Nuestra Señora del Rosario and abbreviated "N S d Rosario" on the map. A church is drawn on the map at the mission locations. The map was drawn in 1787, before Mission San Miguel was founded, and shows all the missions at that time and the Camino Real connecting them.
The bay next to Santo Domingo must represent San Quintin and the larger bay shown inaccurately close to San Vicente is Ensenada de Todos Santos.



[Edited on 1-5-2016 by David K]

Baja Sur on Palou's 1787 Map

The missions and El Camino Real as shown on this 1787 map by Padre Francisco Palou. The boxed names added are next to the mission symbol or mission name on the map.

Missions closed before this map was made, and not shown: San Juan Bautista de Ligüí/ Malibat; Los Dolores/ La Pasión; San Luis Gonzaga. Santa Rosa (at Todos Santos) was replaced by the La Paz mission in 1748 when it moved to Todos Santos. While technically it was Mission Pilar de la Paz it was nearly always called Todos Santos after the move.



[Edited on 1-5-2016 by David K]

Alta California on 1787 Map

This one was tougher than Baja (for me)!
The data was from before 1787 when the map was drawn or published. As we saw from the Baja Norte section, San Vicente was there (1780) but not San Miguel (1787).

In Alta California, before 1787 the following missions were founded:
San Diego, 1769
San Carlos at Monterey (1770), but moved to Carmel in 1771.
San Antonio de Padua (1771)
San Gabriel (1771)
San Luis Obispo (1772)
San Francisco de Asís (1776)
San Juan Capistrano (1776)
Santa Clara (1777)
San Buenaventura (1782)
[shown as a Presidio only is Santa Bárbara, but a mission was founded there in December 1786, too late to make the map].

Now, what I couldn't see on the map was Santa Clara and I am guessing that San Antonio is abbreviated, but that could be another name? It is actually closer to where Santa Clara is, as San Antonio is further south.

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo

Thanks again DK, that helps tie the past to the present as we know it. Maybe if you are still weather bound and looking for a project, you could place a number by, or in the boxes you added, indicating the order they were founded. This from a guy (me) with near zero editing skills!

Just open up to page 116 & 117 of our book! You do have a copy of The Old Missions of Baja & Alta California, yes? http://oldmissions.com

The 48 California Mission, in order of their founding...

Not exactly how they teach it in school... "from San Diego north, a day's ride apart..."

San Diego was founded 72 years after the first mission (Loreto) in the "chain" of missions... and it was #19!

The next mission founded after San Diego was 400 miles away! LOL

Just the Baja Missions

While we all (should) know the missions in all three states of California were founded together as one program for one country...

The primary interest with Baja travelers and Nomads are just the 27 missions founded in Baja California.

So, here is a map I had originally made for my new book (which is only about the 27 Baja California missions) that may better answer AKgringo's question?



Now, how many of you can tell me the mission names that go with the number on this map? How about the year they were founded?


Missions #9 and 7 are shown at their founding location and later moved some distance away.

Missions #5 and 17 are shown at the final location after being founded some distance away.

Nearly half of all the mission in Baja moved one or more times, but much shorter distances than the 4 mentioned above.

Quote: Originally posted by AKgringo

Thanks Dave! I did not realize there was going to be a test! Can I get an 'incomplete', instead of the 'F' my score would deserve?

Hell, you can get a Pacifico, if you want!

I once heard, "History never gets old"!