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Mission Santa Clara de Asis was the second mission to help secure the San Francisco harbor; the first being Mission Dolores. Like mission Dolores, the site was chosen by Juan Bautista de Anza, near a stream named Rio de Nuestra Senora de Gaudalupe. The building, however, was started by Lt. Moraga, Father Tomas de la Pena, and later included Father Jose Murguia.
The church was moved to a different site in the fertile Santa Clara valley after the first few years due to flooding, earthquake and fire. There it prospered with bountiful crops and the largest Indian population ever, totaling 2,228 by 1800. The Indians were friendly, although they had resorted to thievery in the beginning. Only when an epidemic struck, killing many of the children, did the mission begin getting Indian converts. The success of the mission was due to the talented and compassionate padres: Father Murguia who designed and helped build the final mission, but died before its consecration; Father Magin de Catala, who was known as the Prophet for his uncanny ability to correctly foretell future events; and Father Jose Viader, who led an Indian choir, was much loved by the Indians. An Alameda was created of trees to separate the mission lands from the neighboring settlers. It consisted of rows of trees planted on both sides of a 4-mile road, that helped ease the problems between the town and the mission by providing a visual boundary.
Secularization of the missions began in 1836 and all mission land was dispersed. The American government eventually restored some of the lands to the Catholic Church. In 1850, the Catholic Church then turned it over to the Jesuit Order. Under Father John Nobil, a college was started and later became the University of Santa Clara. This is the only mission to become a college and is the oldest university in California. It received its charter in 1912.
Present day location: The mission is located on the campus of the University of Santa Clara and has a restored church (the original burned down in 1926), a museum and various buildings of old and new origins.
Mission Santa Clara, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95053-3217, (408)554-4023
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