Rear view of the Castro-Breen Adobe, which looks much as it did when built by Jose Castro. The Breen family were survivors of the disastrous Donner Party which was stranded in the High Sierras for over 3 months during the winter of 1846. They arrived in San Juan Bautista penniless & were given shelter at the mission.
Story has it that when word arrived of the 1848 gold strike, one of the Breen sons set off for the gold fields & returned with $10,000 in gold dust. In December1848 the Breens purchased the house, which they owned until the area became a state historical park in 1933. If I recall correctly, it was in this house that I saw the hair wreath, mentioned in the story. (DLW, August 1998)
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