Page 2 - autobluebook1920vol8_local

Fresno Section Page 421 Route 371
92.4 3.1 End of road; bear right along RR.
Left at 92.4 is Route 412 at mileage 34.7 to Mojave.
92.5 0.1 Saugus, sta. on left. Straight thru along RR.
GARAGES—Ridge Road Garage.
94.9 2.4 Newhall. Straight thru. Cross RR 95.2. Thru Newhall tun-
nel 98.1. Pass Sylmar Sta. on left 102.0.
104.5 9.6 San Fernando,* 4-corners, sta. on left. Straight thru.
GARAGES—Walker’s Garage, San Fernando Blvd.
Right at 104.7 is Route 384 to Ventura.
Pass Pacoima Sta. on left 106.2.
109.2 4.7 Right-hand diagonal road; bear right onto Lankershim Blvd.
Straight ahead leads to Los Angeles via San Fernando Blvd., Bur-
bank and Tropico.
Cross RR 111.5. Cross RR at Lankershim Sta. 113.9.
Right along RR is Route 491 to Calabasas.
Left at 114.1 is Route 492 to Los Angeles via Burbank.
Pass Universal City motion picture studios on left 115.9.
116.3 7.1 End of road, just beyond trolley; turn left.
Right at 116.3 is Route 391 at mileage 10.9 to Santa Barbara.
Descend grade thru Cahuenga pass 117.4.
*San Fernando, Cal. (pop. 3,000). Just a few some wild onions for his luncheon he discov-
minutes’ ride from this city is San Fernando ered a piece of gold. Search revealed other
Rey d’Espagna mission, occupying the Reyes pieces. On his return to San Fernando he
Rancho. The. Reyes hacienda temporarily showed these to friends, who at once declared
housed the mission, which also included there must be a placer of gold in the canyon.
within its lands the famous Camulos Rancho, People from L6s Angeles and Santa Barbara
the home of Helen Hunt Jackson’s "Ramona.” flocked to the new gold field. The first Cali-
The mission was founded by Padre Lasuen, fornia gold ever coined at the Philadelphia
September 8, 1797, but Padre Francisco Du- mint came from this field. It was taken
metz and his assistant, Francisco Favier Uria, around Cape Horn in a sailing vessel by Al-
were the first priests in charge. The baptis- fred Robinson, translator of Boscana’s “In-
mal register shows that ten children were dians of California,” and amounted to $344.75.
baptized the first day and thirteen adults in In the two years following Lopez’ discovery
October. The tile-roofed adobe church was about $100,000 was taken from this placer. The
consecrated in December, 1806, but was so se- first gold pans were bateas or bowl- shaped
verely injured in the earthquake of 1812, which baskets made by the mission Indians.
The church at S'an Fernando is only a pa-
damaged nearly all the missions, that thirty
new beams were needed to support the shaken thetic ruin. It is built entirely of adobe, with
walls. A new chapel was completed in 1818. the entrance at the southwest end, while the
The secularization of the mission was begun altar stands at the northeast. On the east
in 1834 by the appointment of Lieutenant' side is an entrance with a half-circular arch
flat
Antonio del Valle as comisionado. In 1832 sloping into a larger arch inside with a
Micheltorena, who had been appointed gov- top and rounded corners. Various and curi-
ernor, stopped at San Fernando on his journey ous styles of these outer and inner arches are
worked out in the thick walls and are of in-
north to take up his office and was there in- of
formed of the raising of the American flag at terest as affording a wonderful example
Monterey by Commodore Jones. It was by variety in adapting the arch to its necessary
Micheltorena’ s decree in 1843 that San Fer- functions. On the northwest side of the
nando was returned to the padres, but there church is the old graveyard, the doorway to
were only two vineyards and a few cattle left. which has the half-circular arch on the inside
Even this small gain was not to be theirs for and slopes outward to an exterior square arch.
still surrounded
long. The Californians led by Pio Pico and Close to the graveyard and
Castro revolted against Micheltorena, who by the remains of the original adobe walls
with most of his troops marched south to is the old olive orchard, where a number of
suppress the rebellion. At San Fernando was fine trees are still growing. There are two
fought the "bloodless battle of Cahuenga,” superb palms over 100 years old which have
been the inspiration of many an artist. They
resulting in the capitulation of Micheltorena. the mission
In 1847 S'an Fernando was again the scene of stand isolated and pictures of
warlike operations. Fremont and his bat- usually have these stately trees in the fore-
talion arrived in January and remained until ground with the long, low line of the monas-
after the signing of the treaty of Cahuenga, tery corridor in the middle distance and the
into the Sierra Madre
which terminated all hostilities against the beautiful hills rising of
United States in its conquest of California. mountains in the distance. The exterior
During their stay and on their departure Fre- the old monastery has been restored by the
mont’s command confiscated without com- Landmarks club, which also placed the pro-
pensation whatever horses and cattle remained tecting shake roof over the church ruin.
old
fine
to the San Francisco mission. The following Close to the monastery building a still pours
fountain built of brick and cement
year is famous for the discovery of gold in
California, and with this discovery the Mis- crystal waters from a great double bowl on a
The
sion of San Fernando is associated. In 1842 center standard into a reservoir below. which
Francisco Lopez, major-domo of the mission, square structure built of boulders
seeking stray horses, stopped to rest and eat stands about 200 yards from the monastery in-
of brick.
in the canyon of San Feliciano. In digging up closes two circular cisterns