The Missions and Missionaries of California New Series. Local History San Fernando Rey THE Mission of the Valley BY Fr. ZEPHYRIN ENGELHARDT, O. F. M. PREFACE San Fernando Mission, now together with Mission San Gabriel practically a portion of the rapidly growing City of Los Angeles, in the early days belonged to a different military jurisdiction. While San Gabriel was the northernmost of the four Missions included in the First or San Diego Military District, San Fernando Rey was the southernmost of the five Indian Missions comprised in the Second or Santa Barbara Military Department. The other Indian missionary centres were San Buenaventura, Santa Barbara, Santa Inés, and Purisima Concepcion. In point of time, San Fernando Rey was the seventeenth of the Twenty-one Missions established by the Franciscans for the Indians along the coast from San Diego to Sonoma, north of San Francisco Bay. Its history is therefore not so replete with interesting events as are many of the earlier Missions. Like all of them, however, the Mission of the Valley has features which distinguishes it from any other. The author herewith acknowledges his indebtedness to the kindly Mrs. Catalina Lopez, who as a girl witnessed the last throes of the dying Mission. It is due to her that we know where and how several of the missionaries closed their earthly career. She especially admired Fr. Blas Ordaz as a good confessor. The old lady in 1904 accompanied the writer to the abandoned Mission, and pointed out various interesting points which but for her would have been overlooked. At that time all the foundations and some of the walls of the |