Spanish Government made large grants
of land to the missions, and under the labor, care and excellent methods
of the missionaries, they became powerful and wealthy institutions, the
pride and blessing of New Spain. Fine stock, teeming grain fields and
luscious orchards graced every mission, and Mission San Carlos was no
exception, indeed it was one of the most prosperous and beautiful.

Fathers from the Mission at Carmelo, attended the Royal Chapel of San
Carlos in Monterey and continued to do so until long after the last Act
of Secularization in 1835 had been passed by the Mexican Government, and
San Carlos of Carmelo was left desolate with no priest to guard her own
altar light. But of this we shall, alas, have but too much reason to
speak later. Junipero Serra did not stop his arduous work by founding
beautiful San Carlos of Carmelo and consecrating the Royal Chapel of
Monterey; he was to christianize all California, for all California
had now been added to the Crown of Castile and Leon. Spain followed
in California the same policy which has distinguished her in her other
possessions such as Cuba, the Philippines and other colonies, steeped in
idolatry until the Spanish Missionary, whose zeal is proverbial, wrested
their countless inhabitants from the cymmerian gloom of paganism. Thus
as soon as San Carlos Mission was founded, the glorious march of El
Camino Real continued.

Mission San Antonio de Padua, the third mission, was established in July
1, 1771. The beauty of the spot and wonderful eagerness of the Indians
to receive baptism greatly touched Junipero Serra and the other two
Franciscan Fathers who accompanied him as well as some of the soldiers
who were in the party. To-day Mission San Antonio is almost in ruins,
but its very ruins are piles which speak of mystic beauty, and in
the days of mission glory San Antonio was one of the fairest of the
missions.

On returning to Carmelo, Junipero Serra filled the other missionaries
with joy over this latest conquest of souls, and sent messengers to
Fathers Somera and Cambon whom he had left in charge of the Mission at
San Diego, to establish a mission in southern California, which they
would name San Gabriel. The two Fathers, with ten soldiers as guards,
started a march northward until they came to the present sight of San
Gabriel, which they saw immediately was a good location for a mission,
particularly as a beautiful stream flowed through the Valley, and
wherev