La Purisima Concepcion Mission
(Source: Library of
Congress)
The La Purisima Mission was
founded on December 8, 1787. It was the first to be
dedicated by Father Lasuen. The mission was first built
from mud plaster. In 1800 a stronger adobe mission was
built. The mission once had 10,000 livestock, plus
agriculture including a vineyard.
The mission suffered
many challenges. It was severely damaged in the 1812
earthquake. Later, an earthquake broke a dam upstream
causing the mission, equipment, irrigation system and
crops to be flooded. A drought in 1816 and 1817 then
caused crops and livestock to die.
A new mission was completed in 1818. This new mission
was built in a straight line, rather than the traditional
quadrangle. This made it easier to evacuate during an
earthquake. Unfortunately, the mission continued to face
problems. A fire in 1818 damaged some of the buildings.
Then in 1824, the native indians revolted and occupied
the mission for a month until driven out by soldiers.
The mission deteriorated after secularization. Many of
the remaining natives died from a smallpox epidemic in
1844.
In 1930, the land was given to the National Park
Service for restoration. It is now a state historical
monument.
This drawing shows the
inside of the La Purisima Mission.
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