[p. 29] Santa Clara, p. 29
The Mission of Santa Clara was founded January 12th, 1777, by Father Tomas de la Pena, O.S.F. The site was the present Laurel Wood Farm of [p. 30] Peter J. Donahue. The floods of 1778-9, however, obliged the Fathers to look for higher and safer grounds. They selected the "Valley of the Oaks," a location some 150 yards to the southwest of the present Union depot of the town of Santa Clara. At the ceremony of the removal of the Santa Clara Mission to the second location, Father Serra was himself present and officiated.
[p. 30 Santa Clara, 1908d]
The structures there were begun November 19th, 1781, and the second church and building were blessed and dedicated on May 15th, 1784. The earthquake of 1812 cracked the walls of the church and the more severe "tremblores" of 1818 completed the destruction. A third church was erected upon the present site of the mission church, and was dedicated on August 11th, 1822, the eve of Santa Clara. This third church was the work of Father José Viader, assisted by Don Ignacio Alviso, as foreman. The orginal adobe walls of this church were replaced in 1862 by the present towers, and the present facades. But the interior, the ornamentations and furnishings are almost intact. These latter include the life-size crucifix, the original holy-water fonts, the pulpits of those early days, the copy of the miraculous and historic painting of "Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe," the identical reredos or background of the main altar, the tabernacle and candleabra-shelves, the wings of the latter itself; the accompanying statues in wood of Saints Joachin and Ann, parents of Our Lady; and like statues of Saints Juan Capistran and Colette. The reredos contain other statues and medallions. The church has the identical frescoed ceiling of the chancel. The paintings of the walls and ceilings of the interior are reproductions; also the statue in wood of St. Francis of Asisi, with sacred stigmata on the hands and feet; also that of St. Anthony of Padua, with the Infant Jesus in his arms. In the right hand belfry are the three old bells donated to the Santa Clara Mission by the King of Spain. Two bear the original dates, 1798 and 1799, and the third, which was recast in 1864, bears the double dates 1805-64. In the college library may be seen the historic paintings of "Alameda," the "Beautiful Way," "Santa Clara Mission in 1851" and the grand old choral of those early days, with cover in bronze and wood.
At the time of Vancouver's visit to Santa Clara, many of the Indians were engaged in building adobe houses for themselves. In 1794, twenty-three of these dwellings with thatched roofs were completed, and in 1798, nearly all of [p. 31] the married neophytes were thus accomodated. Today not a mission Indian is to be found in or about Santa Clara. Her as at all other missions, secularization with one blow ruined fifty years of faithful and patient work of the Padres.