Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park

The original Santa Cruz Mission was built in 1791 and was located nearer to the mouth of the San Lorenzo river. This flooded in its first winter, so rebuilding commenced in 1793 at the location on the hill overlooking the surrounding area.

Though there isn't anything left of the original Santa Cruz Mission, what you see there today was built in 1822 there is enough left to get a glimpse as to the daily life of those who built, lived and worked there.

Weather Forecast For Santa Cruz, CA:

Quick Information:

* Address: 144 School St
Santa Cruz, Ca 95060
* Phone: (831) 425-5849

* Park Hours: 10AM-4PM

Thursday-Monday
* Established: 1971
* Size:

* Elevation: 75

Day Use Fee:
Free/$5 for the weekend tour

Dogs:
In day use area only

Water:
Yes

Toilets:
Yes

A Very Brief History on Santa Cruz Mission:

The Mission movement started in 1529 with the arrival of the Catholic Church of Rome. Even though they were met with fierce opposition, they persisted. From Florida onward. They managed to build a total of 407 missions over the course of time, from 1529 up until around 1833. 21 of those missions are in California.

The Santa Cruz Mission was "founded" on August 28th 1791 by Father Fermin Lasurn. Eventually known as "The Hard Luck Mission", it was destroyed by flood, moved to higher ground, then plagued by disease, loss of the slave labor as they fled from terrible conditions and hard labor.

Then the governor of what was the Alta California decided to build a secular pueblo built by convicts from Guadalajara. They took many provisions from the Mission. In1818, a "pirate" by the name of Hipolito de Bouchard headed up the coast, hitting Monterey first. When word spread that he was heading towards Santa Cruz, the residents fled. While away, the Santa Cruz Mission was robbed by the men from the pueblo across the way.

Numerous earthquakes only allowed this Mission to exist for about 130 years. Eventually the area went secular and all was lost at that point.

The Pirate?

Though Hippolyte Bouchard, whose real name was Hipolito Bouchard, did commit the things told in history...but he was not a pirate like the idea of Captain Jack Sparrow. He had been given authority to do his pirating. Originally from France, he was given citizenship in Argentina.

"Captain Bouchard was a corsair from the then very young free state of the "United Provinces of Rio de la Plata River," (direct ancestor of the present Argentine Republic). He was encharted from the government to have a legal "corsair license" against any property of the Spanish Empire all over the world."

Here is a great article on the types of pirates

Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park; Map:

What's there to do at the Santa Cruz Mission SHP?

We were lucky to have been in the area on a Thursday. This park is open 5 days a week, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10AM till 4PM. When we went, there was a group of school children there.

There was only 1 person working at the Mission, so we weren't able to go into the gift shop as she was busy with their tour. They got to make candles and mud bricks. I believe that every hour a tour is conducted for anyone there visiting the Mission who would like a tour.

What will you see at Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park?

So honestly, not much is left of all that was once there, and the last 200 plus years have not been kind. The church built around 1791 has long since become but a memory. A scaled down version of that church was built in the 1930s, and you can see it at the corner of School Street before you get to the Mission ruins. You can see it here.

It seems that even before the Mission was built, there was life in the now Santa Cruz area. You can see below the floor, ruins from a time even further in history still exists.

Time behind the walls. Over the course of time, things changed. Walls where windows once existed, and windows where solid walls stood.

The native Indians, lived with their family members in these small rooms. Cooking on fires, eating, sleeping and spending what free time they were given.

My Conclusion:

This park may be small, but it is a part of the building of California history. What is still there is well-preserved, and worth the time to visit. If you like history then this place, in the heart of Santa Cruz is something to see.