Here’s another view of San Diego from way back, 137 years to be exact. The San Diego Union of November 8, 1885 ran an article entitled “Mission Valley and the Mission” that provided a view that might surprise many readers today: “Only a few miles from the city is the Mission Valley. It is still very sparsely settled. Herds of cattle graze along the river banks on ranges, which, to a large extent, remain unfenced. The hill sides are, generally speaking, devoid of improvements. In the little canyons there are bee ranches.”

That view of what was then a rural, sparsely populated area also included this: “At the head of the valley, visible at a long distance and overlooking the country for miles, is what remains of the old Catholic mission. While the buildings are practically demolished, enough of the front elevations remain to make a striking feature of the landscape.”

That written description of the mission ruins is borne out by the photo below, taken two years later for Douglas Gunn’s book, Picturesque San Diego:

The mission buildings would eventually be partially restored by the local Catholic archdiocese in 1891 to house a school for Indigenous students. That school would be moved to Banning in 1907. The entire mission would be fully restored in 1931.

Sources for this post included historic San Diego newspapers, the aforementioned book Picturesque San Diego and the website of Mission San Diego de Alcalá.