Mission San Rafael for kids
The Sunny Mission. The true story of Mission San Rafael, near San Rafael, CA, told for kids.
Read along
See that little white church with the bell? That's Mission San Rafael. It was built more than two hundred years ago. Here's the reason it was built here.
Across the bay in San Francisco, it was foggy and cold, and lots of people were getting sick. But here in San Rafael, it was warm and sunny. So the mission was made like a hospital, a place for sick people to rest in the sunshine and feel better. The Coast Miwok people, whose families had lived here for thousands of years, were brought to live and work at the mission.
It was a really hard time for them, and many got sick. Today, the Coast Miwok are still here, and they tell their own stories about this place. Listen! When the mission bell rings, it's the same kind of sound people heard way back then.
3 fun facts
- Founded in 1817 as a hospital mission.
- The 20th of California's 21 missions.
- Today's chapel is a 1949 replica.
For grown-ups
Every Tumbly story is checked claim by claim against the sources below before it's published; stories that don't pass stay off the app and this site. Narration is pre-recorded, and nothing you do on this page is tied to your kids.
Sources
- californiamissionsfoundation.org/mission-san-rafael
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_San_Rafael_Arc%C3%A1ngel
- factcards.califa.org/mis/sanrafaelarcangel.html
- facebook.com/KellysAppliance/posts/-stepped-back-in-time-today-at-mission-san-rafael-arc%C3%A1ngel-right-here-in-sunny-s/1517515940384456
- kids.britannica.com/kids/article/San-Rafael-Arc%C3%A1ngel/630988
- flooddistrict.marincounty.gov/tribal-history
- calindianmissions.org/mission/san-rafael-arcangel
- hiddenhispanicheritage.com/mission-san-rafael-treated-sick-and-dying-natives.html
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