santa margarita asistencia

The Santa Margarita Asistencia (or Santa Margarita de Cortona) was established in 1787 as a "sub-mission" to the San Luis Obspo Mission to minister to the large number of Chumash Indians that inhabited the area. The Asistencia is sometimes referred to as "San Luis Obispo County's third mission." It was located at the top of the Cuesta Grade (north of San Luis Obispo) and also served as an outpost, chapel, and storehouse. Additionally, the Mission padres and Indians conducted extensive grain cultivation. The chapel building measured some 120 by 20 feet and eight auxiliary rooms for the use of the majordomo and his servants, and as quarters for visiting priests. One chamber was functioned as a granary for storing mission crops. The Santa Margarita Asistencia was secularized along with Mission San Lus Obispo in 1835, suffered the same neglect that many mission properties did after that time. In 1841 the lands (encompassing over 17,000 acres) were granted to Joaquin Estrada. After the American takeover at Monterey in 1841 General Po Pico] and General Jose Castro met at the rancho to discuss strategy. During the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt, the forces of Captain John C. Frmont captured an Indian bearing a message from Jose Jesus Pico (the San Luis Obispo Justice of the Peace) at the rancho and ordered his execution. In December of that year Frmont also arrested Estrada and others at the rancho, releasing them only securing their pledges of service to Frmont. The United States Land Commission issued a patent for the rancho in April 1861 to Martin and Mary Murphy of San Jose. That property (and others) ultimately passed along to their son Patrick Murphy, who served in the California Assembly and the California State Senate for three terms. Eventually Patrick Murphy amassed holdings of over 70,000 acres statewide. General P. W. Murphy acquired the property in the 1860s and erected a barn over the Asistencia to shield it from the elements. In February of 1889 the town of Santa Margarita was incorporated. The former rancho lands today are under the ownership of four families. Several of the original stone walls remain standing, having been incorporated into a ranch barn. The fact that the Asistencia is situated on private land makes public viewing, photography, and study problematic at best. The GPS coordinates for the Asistencia are , just outside the City of Santa Margarita.

Historic designations

California Historic Landmark #364

Santa Margarita Asistencia

Historic designations

See also