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The Mission Pear

Articles: The Mission Pear

This Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) planted by the Kittle family in the early 1900s is located near the site of the Kittle home. Photo: Gary Scales

[sidebar] Marin Art & Garden Center and Pacific Horticulture are co-producing "Garden Life: Art, Flowers, and Food" on June 18 at MAGC.[/sidebar]

Mission San Rafael Arcangel was founded in 1817, and its first pastor, Franciscan priest Father Gil Taboado, soon built a thriving agricultural community ministering to the native Indians. One of the mission’s most highly prized harvests was fruit from a large pear orchard planted by Father Gil.

By 1834, the extensive church holdings in Alta California, were broken into enormous tracts of land or ranchos and sold by the Mexican government. The San Rafael Mission was abandoned, but Father Gil’s pear trees continued to bear fruit.

In February, 1848, California became a United States territory. A month earlier, gold had been discovered in California. When word reached Australia, James Ross booked passage on the first ship for San Francisco. Ross parlayed his initial grubstake into a handsome profit, becoming a...

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