The adobe mission on East Spain Street in Sonoma marks the end of a chain. Mission San Francisco Solano was the 21st, last and northernmost mission in Alta California, and the only one built after Mexico won independence from Spain, according to Wikipedia.

How it started

Father José Altimira came from Barcelona to serve at Mission San Francisco de Asís, the San Francisco mission. He and Gov. Luis Argüello wanted to move that mission and its San Rafael branch north of the bay. The governor also wanted to keep the Russians at Bodega Bay and Fort Ross from moving inland.

On July 4, 1823, soldiers set a large redwood cross in the Sonoma Valley, and Mass was said to bless the site. Church leaders did not want the San Francisco mission closed. In the end they agreed to a new mission with its own patron saint, Francis Solanus, a 17th-century Franciscan missionary to South America, Wikipedia says.

The land was not empty. It sat near the northeast corner of Coast Miwok territory, with Southern Pomo, Wappo, Suisunes and Patwin peoples nearby. Altimira dedicated a wooden church on April 4, 1825. In 1826 Native people who did not live at the mission were angry over how the harvest was shared and burned some of its wooden buildings. Altimira fled to Mission San Rafael. His replacement, Father Buenaventura Fortuni, laid out the main buildings around a large square.

The mission was closed and made a parish in 1834. It had fewer converts and less industry than the older missions, according to Wikipedia.

Visiting today

The mission building is part of Sonoma State Historic Park. The park also includes the Sonoma Barracks and Gen. Mariano Vallejo's home, according to California State Parks.

  • Addresses: The mission is at 114 E. Spain St. and the Barracks at 36 E. Spain St. Vallejo's home is at 363 Third St. West.
  • Hours: Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. The gift store in the Barracks closes at 4:30 p.m.
  • Museum fees: $3 for adults and $2 for youth. Children 5 and under get in free.
  • Parking: Free public parking is behind the Barracks, off First Street West.
  • Dogs: Leashed dogs are allowed on trails and in historic areas but not in the museum.

The park accepts the California State Park Adventure Pass for fourth graders, so their visit is free.