The legend of the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano was passed down through generations of the early Indians that once inhabited this region. The earliest documentation of the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano was recorded by Father . . . — — Map (db m276797) HM
Founded in 1776 by Padre Junipero Serra. The seventeenth in the chain of twenty-one missions established in Alta California to Christianize and civilize the Indians. Stone church destroyed in 1812 earthquake. Expropriated during Mexican rule. . . . — — Map (db m50226) HM
This valley of San Juan Capistrano is the home of the First People known as Acjachemen (Ah-hah-sha-men). The Acjachemen language has been classified by linguists as a member of the Taki branch of the Uto-Aztecan family of languages. Many autonomous . . . — — Map (db m197234) HM
Mission San Juan Capistrano, originally founded in East Texas in 1716, was reestablished here on the east bank of the San Antonio River in 1731. The mission community prospered in spite of its remote location, far from the Presidio of San . . . — — Map (db m213540) HM
Mission San Juan Capistrano was originally founded in East Texas in 1716 but failed to prosper in that remote location. It was reestablished in 1731 here on the east bank of the San Antonio River. The indigenous residents of the missionary-led . . . — — Map (db m213402) HM
Mission San Juan Capistrano was founded in 1776 by Saint
Serra. As the seventh of the 21 California missions, and the
only mission in Orange County, it hosts the State's most
historically significant chapel, Serra Chapel (1782) and the
ruins of . . . — — Map (db m148351) HM
"Jewel of the Missions" founded on November 1, 1776 by father Junipero Serra, most renown and most beautiful of the California Missions, Quaint little Serra Chapel is California's oldest building still in use. The magnificent ruins of the Great . . . — — Map (db m149788) HM
This jail cell was built in 1896 to serve as a holding cell for miscreants on their way to County jail. Originally located on the west side of Camino Capistrano at the intersection with Ortega Highway, it was the scene of several jailbreaks and one . . . — — Map (db m137613) HM
Opened in 1983, designed by Michael Graves. It has been said that this building "Speaks the traditional language of the place without using all the same words." — — Map (db m188912) HM
The Franciscan Plaza, built in 1990, occupies a site with a long and colorful history. Beginning in the early 1800's, adobe brick homes housing notable community founders were built on these site, facing a public plaza that extended south from . . . — — Map (db m189488) HM
Va. Jhs Ma. Jph
The Mission of San Juan Capistrano which is about to be established in the valley of the same name or in its vicinity between the Missions of San Diego & San Gabriel of the Earthquakes, about twenty leagues from both & too from . . . — — Map (db m286406) HM
This historic farm acquired by the City Council of San Juan Capistrano, in cooperation with the Community Redevelopment Agency, through proceeds of the Open Space Bond Issue, approved by the citizens in April, 1990.
The Joel Congdon House, . . . — — Map (db m197235) HM
Built in the 1790's, this is a typical example of the dozen or more one-room adobes in the Los Rios District. San Juan Capistrano was the first Mission to allow workers to live outside Mission grounds — — Map (db m188931) HM
On Oct. 12-13, 1783 Frey Junipero Serra confirmed 213
persons in this church. It has the distinction of being the only church now standing in California in which
Fr.Serra officiated. The oldest portion, [from line
in wall to chancel steps] . . . — — Map (db m297862) HM
The Great Stone Church
1797 - 1806 · Under construction
1806 - 1812 · House of worship
Dec. 8, 1812 · Felled in earthquake
May the earthquake victims rest in peace. — — Map (db m296373) HM
The two furnaces at this site, circa 1790's, are the oldest existing metalworking structures in California. They were used for the production of wrought iron, thereby introducing the natives living here to the Metal Age. Previously, only skills . . . — — Map (db m307668) HM
Built in 1840 by Juan Avila as a 10 room adobe. It was destroyed by fire in 1879 and only partially rebuilt. The present restoration done in 1992 is about one-third the size of the original. — — Map (db m188917) HM
Built in 1920 for Mr. and Mrs. Carl A. Romer. The building represents the Italianate style common to the commercial buildings in the early twentieth century. The Romer's operated a general merchandize store and post office. — — Map (db m188919) HM
Built in 1794 for Feliciano Rios, a
Spanish soldier based at the San Juan
Capistrano Mission, it is the oldest
home continuously occupied by one
family in the state of California. — — Map (db m148345) HM
Don Juan Forster, developer, died
Feb. 1882. The settlers had no legal
rights to the land & Forster City
was abandoned. Buildings & school
were moved to San Juan Capistrano
Dedicated May 16, 1976 — — Map (db m190441) HM
Situated on this hill, located between the two rivers of the Capistrano Valley, is this sacred and consecrated ground. From this hilltop, the ocean, Mission, and town can be seen. It is a perfect resting place for San Juan Capistrano's historic . . . — — Map (db m199141) HM
Dedicated to the Memory of
Father Junipero Serra
1713 - 1784
the first Franciscan missionary
to whom California owes an
everlasting tribute – he brought
civilization to our land and in deed
and character he deserves a foremost
place in . . . — — Map (db m14817) HM
In memory of Thomas Anthony 'Tony' Forster, El Presidente of the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society from 1991 to 2007. It was through his vision that these grounds were dedicated to the development of four houses to reflect the various . . . — — Map (db m188925) HM
Dick O'Neill 'Uncle Richard' to family and friends contributed significantly to the life of Capistrano Valley. A sixth generation 'Californio', he was an owner
of Rancho Mission Viejo and of the vast Rancho Santa Margarita y Flores, the 'great . . . — — Map (db m188927) HM
Jose Dolores Garcia was a prominent citizen of San Juan Capistrano who was
of Juaneno Indian and Spanish descent. In 1862, he married Maria Refugia Yorba
at the Mission. He promised her a new and unique house. After extensive research on horseback . . . — — Map (db m188929) HM
The San Juan Elementary School, established in 1850 in what was then Los Angeles County, is the oldest school site in Orange County. This 2.5 acre plot was originally Mission San Juan Capistrano property, and was gifted by Don Juan Forster who owed . . . — — Map (db m188643) HM
A Spanish soldier station at San Juan Capistrano in the late 1700s. He was awarded a land grant in the San Juan Capistrano Area which remained in his family for 10 generations. — — Map (db m199168) HM
Constructed in 1794 as one of forty adobes built to house mission Indians. Named for Polonia Montanez, a nineteenth century resident. Owned by Mr. and Mrs. Forrest Dunivin. Preserved by San Juan Capistrano Historical Society. Restored in 1981 by . . . — — Map (db m148348) HM
The site before you and the surrounding areas have been utilized by the Juaneno Indians (Original inhabitants of the Capistrano Valley). Mission San Juan Capistrano, and residents of this community in a variety of capacities over the years. . . . — — Map (db m188549) HM
Spain, which ruled Mexico for 300 years ending in 1821, paid little attention to its northeastern frontier until French settlers built outposts near the Red River in Louisiana. The Spanish responded by establishing missions in East Texas in the . . . — — Map (db m119601) HM
Eugene Oyharzabal and her daughter Carmelita (Carmen) are greatly respected for their vision and generosity in the Los Rios District and San Juan Capistrano.
In 1878, Domingo was the first Oyharzabal to arrive in San Juan Capistrano. Having . . . — — Map (db m276437) HM
The Los Rios Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places April 4, 1983. This District includes 31 historic structures which line both sides of the street from Del Obispo to Mission Street. The District's registered . . . — — Map (db m149784) HM
Historic Town Center Park
Today the San Juan Capistrano down town and Mission San Juan Capistrano are situated on the site of the Juaneño village of Acjachema. History explains that in 1769 the first Spanish exploratory expedition, led . . . — — Map (db m51947) HM
Forster bought Mission San Juan Capistrano at public auction in 1844 and later owned 260,000 acres in Orange and San Diego Counties. — — Map (db m199169) HM
In 1776, Father Junipero Serra founded Mission San Juan Capistrano. The land upon which Plaza Del Obispo is built was used by the mission to grow fruits and vegetables. In the 1800s, under private ownership, walnut trees were planted here. In the . . . — — Map (db m188547) HM
Like much of San Juan Capistrano, the Los Rios Street Historic District and surrounding area was home to Native Americans of the Nation before San Juan Capistrano was established in 1776. The first adobe home for Mission neophytes and soldiers were . . . — — Map (db m188923) HM
Starting in the mid 19th century, the population of the San Juan Capistrano Valley grew as people from around the United States and greater world settled here. — — Map (db m188702) HM
In 1731, the Spanish government relocated Mission San José de Los Nazonis, founded in east Texas, to a new site on the east bank of the San Antonio River. They renamed the mission San Juan Capistrano. There, Franciscan missionaries from the . . . — — Map (db m305370) HM
In the spring of 1974, two brothers, Pete and Jim Yyson,
from Newport Beach, California, negotiated a land
lease with the Santa Fe land and improvement company
on this site.
The original depot was built circa 1894-1895, the 1905
freight . . . — — Map (db m232716) HM
Avila, "El Rico," was the original grantee of Rancho Niguel, owner of the Avila Adobe, and a first trustee for the San Juan Elementary School District in the 1850's. — — Map (db m199167) HM
This historic saw was brought here from the Seattle-Snohomish Sawmill (Sea-Sno) in Washington. Manufactured in 1974 by Salem Equipment in Oregon, the saw operated steadily until the mill closed in 2015. The top and bottom wheels are eight feet in . . . — — Map (db m282329) HM
Egan House was constructed in 1883 by Judge Richard Egan. Also known as “Harmony Hall”, the story-and-a-half Renaissance Revival building served as the town courthouse, as well as Judge Egan’s private residence on the upper story. The upper floor . . . — — Map (db m159731) HM
This plaque commemorates the 150th anniversary of the visit to this anchoring cove by author Richard Henry Dana. He arrived in 1835 aboard the brig "Pilgrim" which traded New England goods to Mission San Juan Capistrano and area ranchos for cow . . . — — Map (db m267208) HM
The Forster family moved to San Juan Capistrano in 1844 when English man John Forster bought the San Juan Mission and the surrounding area at auction from Pio Pico, the last of the Mexican Governors of California. Forster, then known as Don Juan . . . — — Map (db m188910) HM
This El Camino Real bell was gifted by Marianne and Ray Miller. The bell signifies the importance of Mission San Juan Capistrano's place on the El Camino Real. These bells are found throughout the state as a result of an early 20th Century . . . — — Map (db m188642) HM
For centuries the Acjechemen, Missionaries, and early settlers used River Street as the path down to the Pacific Ocean.
River Street was originally a path used by the Indigenous people of the area to reach Trabuco Creek. The Creek was one of . . . — — Map (db m276421) HM
Named for Richard Henry Dana, author of "Two Years Before the Mast", who visited here in 1835. El Embarcadero, the cove below, was used by hide vessels trading with Mission San Juan Capistrano. This trade reached its peak in 1830-1840. In 1818 . . . — — Map (db m149479) HM
Built in 1878 in Forester City (near San Onofre). Moved to San Juan Capistrano in 1882, it has served as a general store, post office and residence. — — Map (db m148409) HM
This 1830 structure is typical of San Juan Capistrano adobes of this period; thick walls and a wood shingle roof. The house was purchased by Domingo Oyharzabal in 1880 and occupied by his family for over 100 years. — — Map (db m51939) HM
Our historic farmhouse was built in 1878 and it is the oldest wooden structure in San Juan Capistrano. It used to belong to Pony Express Rider, Joel Congdon, who grew Orange County's first walnut grove. Surviving more than 130 years of social, . . . — — Map (db m197236) HM
The Judge Richard Egan House was built in 1883 for one of San Juan Capistrano' most prominent citizens. Judge Egan was born in Waterford County, Ireland, in 1842, educated in New York and arrived in California in about 1866 following a trip to . . . — — Map (db m204133) HM
San Juan Hot Springs Dance Hall originally built in 1896. Renovated by The City of San Juan Capistrano to be used as the first city recreation building. Dedicated November 15, 1978. — — Map (db m188938)
Antonio Valenzuela, early pioneer of the town of San Juan Capistrano, built the adobe in the early 1840s, probably on the ruins of a mission Indian adobe dating to the 1790s. Later Valenzuela family members worked as local cowboys or vaqueros. The . . . — — Map (db m149787) HM
Following their dream after being interned in Manzanar, Atsuo James and Hiroko Ito came to San Juan Capistrano in 1959. Jimmy, as he was known and Hiroko met and married in Manzanar during WWII. Their eldest son Braven was born there. Douglas, . . . — — Map (db m307666) HM
The original building on this property, commonly known as the Villa, was a board and batten house built by the Yorba family circa 1918. building was used to house itinerant farm workers from the nearby orchards and fields. In 1966 the building was . . . — — Map (db m195062) HM
The California Mission Bell commemorates the route of El Camino Real. This bell sits near the crossroads of the summer and winter route from Mission San Juan Capistrano to Mission San Gabriel Archangel. — — Map (db m188551) HM
Only a fraction of the buildings of the selfsustaining community that was Mission San Juan can still be seen above ground today. Archeology and old Spanish records provide clues to help us imagine this settlement of as many as 200 souls. . . . — — Map (db m217546) HM
Situated below this hill, directly below the hotel, is the Pablo Pryor Adobe-Hide House. Built perhaps as early as 1790, it is possibly the oldest standing adobe in California. During the Rancho period, it was used for storing cattle hide from the . . . — — Map (db m189449) HM
In July, 1769, the Portola Expedition named this area for St. Margaret of Antioch. The Mission San Luis Rey 1827 inventories list a small building in the area. In 1841, Rancho Santa Margarita y San Onofre was granted to Andres and Pio Pico, the last . . . — — Map (db m51107) HM
The Andres Ybarra Ranch House on this portion of Rancho Las Encinitas was long used as a station on the two-day stage run from San Diego to Los Angeles after 1864. — — Map (db m82277) HM
The land that today includes the cities of Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods, and a portion of Laguna Niguel, was once called Rancho Niguel. This 13,000 acre rancho, named after a Native American village located along Aliso Creek, was once owned by Don . . . — — Map (db m149732) HM
This adobe building was constructed about 1820 as part of an outlying mission stock headquarters to shelter the herdsmen who cared for the cattle from Mission San Juan Capistrano. After secularization, the property continued as a cattle ranch . . . — — Map (db m79043) HM
Dedicated - June 18, 1950 A Memorial to Richard O'Neill California pioneer (1850) Alice O'Neill, his wife Jerome O'Neill Richard O'Neill Jr.
El Trabuco - Mission Viejo 1769 - Captain Gaspar de Portola, Padre Crespi and soldiers . . . — — Map (db m185388) HM
During March 5 through 9, 1981, the City of San Antonio commemorated the 250th anniversary of the arrival of sixteen immigrant families from the Canary Islands to the Presidio of San Antonio de Bejar and the transfer of three Franciscan missions . . . — — Map (db m179544) HM
Holy Ground
This is the site of a burial ground. Beginning about 1780, the remains of indigenous people and other local inhabitants were interred in this church that was never completed. They were removed during an archeological . . . — — Map (db m213536) HM
Approximate location of the Missions San Francisco de Los Neches Nuestra Senora de la Purisma Concepcion San Jose de los Nazonis Established in East Texas by Franciscan missionaries in 1716 for the Christianizing and civilizing of the Indians of . . . — — Map (db m165374) HM
Here June 3, 1770, landed Very Rev. Father Junipero Serra, O.S.F. and founded the following missions; San Diego, July 16, 1769, San Carlos Monterey, June 3, 1770, San Antonio de Padua, July 14, 1771, San Gabriel, Sept. 8, 1771, San Luis Obispo, . . . — — Map (db m63109) HM
On the mesa one-half mile south of here the original Mission of San Juan Capistrano was founded Nov. 1, 1776.
Commemorated El Viaje De Portola April 1968 — — Map (db m188901) HM
Arley Leck married Alice Forster, great-granddaugter of Don Juan Forster, in 1917. Alice's parents Frank & Ada Forester owned much of the ranch land in the area. In 1918 the Forsters built a house on a hill overlooking the Ortega Highway across from . . . — — Map (db m188935) HM
This building façade was built in 1938 by Nick and Canuta Arbonies as a home and restaurant which replaced an earlier building that was the first train stationmaster's house and office. The Arbonies were both born in the Basque Navarra region of . . . — — Map (db m307886) HM
In the Tradition of the bells first brought to the Mission Basilica and the Valley of San Juan Capistrano in 1775; these eight bells were cast in 1984 (across the Sea) at the Petit and Fristen Foundry in Holland.
Donated by
ARTHUR . . . — — Map (db m195063) HM
In January 1857, a group of outlaws were terrorizing the citizens of
San Juan Capistrano committing robbery and murder. Los Angeles
County Sheriff James R. Barton formed a posse of five men and rode south.
On January 23, 1857, near this mound, a . . . — — Map (db m244100) HM
On November 20, 1818, in the closing years of the Spanish Era, Capitan Hippolyte Bouchard entered Monterey Bay with two ships, flying the flag of the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata, Argentina. The next day, one ship attacked the Spanish . . . — — Map (db m66555) HM
Native Americans came to the region comprising Laguna Niguel at least 10,000 years ago. They settled near the ocean, in the valleys and along the streams that were rich with abundant fresh water and natural resources. These early dwellers . . . — — Map (db m299666) HM
In 1769 Gasper de Portolá led a group of Spanish soldiers on a thousand-mile march from Baja California to San Francisco. His purpose was to locate the ports of San Diego and Monterey and to establish a series of churches and military posts. The . . . — — Map (db m188706) HM
The cobble foundation is a replica of the original wall foundation which surrounded the gardens and orchard of the Mission San Juan Capistrano. A portion of the foundation has been preserved beneath this replica. The garden and orchard where . . . — — Map (db m188921) HM
Born at Mission San Juan Capistrano, Andres Avelino Duarte joined the Mexican Army in 1821. Transferred to
Mission San Gabriel, he was assigned to protect Mission property. Upon retirement, he was granted nearly 7,000 acres,
which included . . . — — Map (db m218626) HM
All travelers coming into Mission San Juan were formally received here by a portero, who closely monitored this main gate. Pack trains hauled cargo on the Camino Real, some 15- days north from Coahuila in Mexico, or two weeks east from Louisiana. . . . — — Map (db m217651) HM
The missions of San Antonio were far more than just churches, they were communities. Each was a fortified village, with its own church, farm, and ranch. Here, Franciscan friars gathered native peoples, converted them to Catholicism, taught them to . . . — — Map (db m213285) HM
The first inhabitants of San Juan Capistrano were the Acjachemen. These Native Americans lived in what we know today as Orange County. Some of the tribe's descendants work here at Zoomars.
In 1776, the Historic District was part of the . . . — — Map (db m188924) HM
The ancient village of Panhe (pan), meaning "place by the water" in the Acjachemen (A-ha-che-men) language, is nestled along the San Mateo Creek. The Acjachemen are the Native Americans of Orange and Northern San Diego County who have called this . . . — — Map (db m183222) HM
May date back to 1794. It was part of two buildings known as Hacienda Aguilar. This adobe is associated with Don Blas Aguilar, the last Alcalde (Mayor) of the Mexican period. — — Map (db m51943) HM
"The Only Romantic Spot on the Coast" Dana Point is named after Richard Henry Dana, Jr. a nineteenth century sailor. Dana called this area "the only romantic spot on the coast," words of admiration that would forever link his name with this . . . — — Map (db m183014) HM
The peak before you is named for the outlaw Juan Flores.
Flores led a gang of bandits that terrorized this area in the
late 1850's. In January 1857, the gang murdered a shopkeeper
in San Juan Capistrano. While in pursuit of the gang, LA County . . . — — Map (db m148311) HM
This area was
inhabited by the
Acjachemen Nation
Native Americans
before nearby Mission
San Juan Capistrano
was established.
Los Rios Street is the
oldest continually
occupied residential
neighborhood
in California.
There are 31 . . . — — Map (db m169565) HM
Workshops and storerooms clustered around this small courtyard bustled with activity - especially when a mule train arrived. Books, fabrics, hats, pots, griddles, and iron bars hauled from distant Mexico City were unpacked here and stored away. . . . — — Map (db m213300) HM
This gentleman deserves so much more than a simple grave marker saying, “Father – Joseph J. Lopez – 1852 – 1939”. The man’s true name was José Jesús Lopez (or J. J.). Among other things he was in charge of all of . . . — — Map (db m83347) HM
Junípero Serra
Serra played a decisive role in the European settlement of the New World. He was born Miquel José Serra in Petra on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca on November 24, 1713. Though not an assuming figure and plagued by ill . . . — — Map (db m143467) HM
This 6,000-square-foot ranch complex is C-shaped, with a carriage house at one end and a two-story building at the other. It is one of only a few authentic nineteenth-century adobe ranch houses of its kind—combining both Hacienda and Monterey . . . — — Map (db m81323) HM
This region was inhabited by native peoples from early times. Among them were the Payayas, who lived along a river they called Yanaguana. On June 13, 1691, Franciscan Father Damián Massanet arrived and christened the river San Antonio de Padua in . . . — — Map (db m31015) HM
Spain, which ruled Mexico for 300 years ending in 1821, paid little attention to its northeastern frontier until French settlers built outposts near the Red River in Louisiana. The Spanish responded by establishing missions in East Texas in the . . . — — Map (db m119618) HM
From 1970 to 1984, Lion Country Safari made it possible for children of all ages to experience the sights and sounds of an African safari - entirely from the safety and comfort of their cars. It was Southern California's first ever wild animal . . . — — Map (db m148301) HM
