Lichtenstein - Santa Clara

OHLONE VILLAGE. Spanish explorers coming into the Bay Area in 1769 found the nativepopulation, later named the Ohlone, living in small groups or tribelets. Michael Harneys reconstruction sketch depicts a typical Ohlone village. Families lived in small, round, dome-shaped dwellings made of bent willow poles covered with mats of tule reeds. A replica of these dwellings can be seen at the deSaisset Museum at Santa Clara University. (Courtesy of Michael Harney from The Ohlone Way , 1978 by Malcolm Margolin.)

OHLONE FAMILIES AT WORK. Michael Harneys illustration depicts typical Ohlone life with a man working on a dwelling, the women grinding acorns with their mortars and pestles, and another man returning from a hunt with his catch. These indigenous people lived off the land and were hunters and gatherers, rather than tillers of the soil. (Courtesy of Michael Harney from The Ohlone Way , 1978 by Malcolm Margolin.)

OHLONE TULE BOAT. To aid in catching fish and hunting water fowl, the Ohlones fashioned boats of bundled tule reeds. The boats were about ten feet long and three feet wide in the middle. A double-bladed paddle was used to maneuver the boat. Another food source came from the abundant mussels, clams, and other shellfish dug up from the shore. (Courtesy of Michael Harney from The Ohlone Way , 1978 by Malcolm Margolin.)

FIRST SITE COMMEMORATIVE CROSS. In April 1907, members of the Santa Clara County Historical Society placed a cross commemorating the first mission site near the confluence of Mission Creek and the Guadalupe River. The plaque on the transept reads, Monument site First Santa Clara Mission January 12, 1777. (Courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photo Division, Santa Clara County Files.)

THE SPANISH BRIDGE. Arthur D. Spearman, S.J., and Santa Clara historian Austen D. Warburton view Grace Runcies historic painting depicting the old Spanish Bridge over the Guadalupe River at the first site of Mission Santa Clara. Fr. Spearman. wrote the book, The Five Franciscan Churches , which details the story of the five sites and structures of Mission Santa Clara. (Courtesy of Bernice Cox and Santa Clara Womans Club.)

SECOND MISSION GRANITE MARKER. In 1779 the Guadalupe River overflowed, destroying the first mission compound. A temporary mission compound was built on higher ground some 2,700 feet south, while the mission priests looked for a permanent site farther from the river. This granite cross at De La Cruz Boulevard and Martin Avenue marks the second temporary site. (Courtesy of City of Santa Clara Photo Collection.)

THIRD MISSION CHURCH. Archeologist Mark G. Hylkema has created a reconstruction sketch of the third mission church that is based on his archeological findings of the foundation alignments and historical records. The Native-American cemetery is within the walled area to the left of the church, a walled pear orchard is in the background, and the mission quadrangle is to the right of the church. The view is to the southeast with Mount Hamilton in the background (upper right). (Courtesy of Mark G. Hylkema.)

THIRD MISSION CHURCH CORNERSTONE. On November 11, 1781, Fr. Junipero Serra blessed and laid a cornerstone for the third mission church. Placed in the cavity was a metal cross, two religious medallions, and Spanish coins that signified the church treasury. This cornerstone is displayed at the deSaisset Museum at Santa Clara University. (Courtesy of Santa Clara University Archives.)