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Organizational History

Mision La Concepcion Purisima de Maria Santisima was founded by Franciscan Padre Fermin de Lasuen on December 8, 1787, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Originally built at Rio Santa Rosa, it was the eleventh Spanish mission established in California and one of three in the Santa Barbara region working to convert the Chumash Indians.

The first soldiers and permanent missionaries arrived in 1788, when construction of mission buildings began. In the following years, land was cleared for agriculture and a church, workshops, living quarters, and a water system was built. The missionaries translated religious texts into the Chumash language to attract converts, and by 1798 the original church was too small to hold the mission's population of over 900 and a new church was begun. The new church was completed in 1802.

The mission's population reached a high point in 1804 with over 1500 Indian converts on site. Between 1804 and 1807, smallpox, measles and other European diseases decimated the mission population, decreasing it by one third. The final blow fell in 1812, when a series of small earthquakes hit the area, climaxing in December with a major earthquake that seriously damaged the mission. Aftershocks and torrential winter rains turned the adobe ruins into mud.

The original site was then abandoned and the mission rebuilt in a small canyon, La Canada de los Berros, some four miles further northeast. La Purisima was officially established there on April 23, 1813. Within ten years, the permanent buildings were constructed, situated in a line along the base of the hills, a departure from the standard quadrangle mission layout. All but three of these buildings are duplicated at the reconstructed La Purisima Mission State Historic Park.

In the early 1800s, the Hidalgo rebellion led to a cessation of stipends and supplies from Spain. Since foreign trade was illegal, smuggling and a black market arose to deal with shortages of formerly imported goods. Indians were conscripted for military construction projects resulting in increased friction between the missions and military. In 1822, Mexico won its independence from Spain and the missions' political and economic position worsened. In 1824, the Indians at La Purisima and Santa Ines revolted following the flogging of an Indian by soldiers, and were quickly joined by those at San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, San Buenaventura and San Fernando. A month later, soldiers from the presidio at Monterey attacked and recaptured La Purisima, killing sixteen Indians. Another dozen and a half were executed or imprisoned afterward for their part in the revolt.

In 1834, the missions were secularized by the government and control assumed by a series of appointed commissioners. In the following ten years most of the mission's assets were given away or sold and the mission at La Purisima fell into decay. In 1843, La Purisima and several other missions were restored to the church, but at that point the Indians had abandoned the mission and its remaining lands were idle. Two years later the remains of the mission were sold at public auction for $1110. Subsequently, the mission lands changed hands several times and what was left of the buildings fell into ruins. In 1874, the United States deeded the mission site back to the church, but most of the lands were now privately held and the church recovered little more than the ruins of the buildings.

In 1903, the Los Berros site was acquired by the Union Oil Company. Realizing its historical importance, they deeded six parcels of the property to public ownership in 1933 and the Catholic Church donated the old church site to the county. The County of Santa Barbara and the State of California purchased additional land, and the total acreage, over 500 acres, was deeded to the Division of Beaches and Parks. The State Park Commission asked seven prominent Santa Barbara residents to form an advisory committee for the proposed park and in September 1935 they released a report outlining a proposed restoration policy and advocating the complete reconstruction of the site as opposed to simply excavating and stabilizing the remaining ruins. This report was accepted by the State of California and the National Park Service and used as a basis for the master plan for the mission site. At this time, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was assigning workers to aid in the development of state parks, and a consortium comprising the state, county, CCC, and National Park Service undertook the reconstruction of La Purisima Mission using materials and techniques very similar to those used by the padres. In 1941, the State Park Commission allocated $10,000 for the acquisition of additional land for the park site. The three main buildings and parts of three smaller buildings, as well as several units of the water system were completed when the mission was dedicated on December 7, 1941 as La Purisima State Historical Monument.

Work continued on the mission restoration with additional building and other reconstruction continuing into the 1990s, until La Purisima became the most fully restored mission in its original setting. All the major buildings were rebuilt and furnished as they were in 1820, livestock of the period roam the grounds, the original water system was reconstructed, and over 900 surrounding acres were acquired to act as a buffer zone. La Purisima became a state park in 1963.

Chronology