In honor of Halloween I thought I would bring you to the spooky side of one of San Francisco's most historic landmarks: Misión San Francisco de Asís.
Commonly reffered to as Mission Dolores, it's the oldest surviving structure in San Francisco and it got its name from the nearby Dolores Creek. Originally founded October 9,1776, by Padre Francisco Palóu and co-founder Fray Pedro Benito Cambón, who had been charged with bringing Spanish settlers to Alta California and with evangelizing the local indigenous Californians, the Ohlone.
This is actually the second site of Misión San Francisco. The original spot is a few blocks away and is also the location of my first geocache, Shuki's San Francisco History #1. The present mission building was dedicated in 1791.
Mission Dolores has a very interesting and sometimes sad history. There are plenty of resources out there to learn more about it and I will not be able to do it justice here. I'm here to talk about the Cemetary.
If you walk towards 17th St on Dolores, where the white Mission wall ends you will find a little ally called Chula Lane. This cache is just a few paces down Chula. When you are standing there on the lane take a peek through the fence. On the other side of bushes and vines you will see all sorts of headstones sticking out of the ground. This is the San Francisco de Asís cemetery and since the Mission is the oldest building, you guessed it, this is the oldest cemetary in San Francisco.
This tiny plot was once part of a much larger cemetery that ran all the way to what is now Church Street and into 16th Street. It is the final resting place of city founders, criminals, and thousands of Ohlone Native Americans. It is estimated that over 5,500 native Ohlone were buried here in unmarked graves.
Now, take a look around you and imagine what this area looked like 150 years ago. Chula Lane and the buildings around you stand in the boundaries of the old cemetary. YOU are standing on the graves of over 5,500 people. Spooky, right?
This cache is tiny and blends in really well. It is not on the wall or on the cemetary side of the fence. It is not on the side of Chula Lane opposite the cemetary. Start your search near the power pole. Hint: its magnetic
Congrats to Mr V Troop 3 for the FTF less than 5 hours after posting!