What role did agriculture play in San Gabriels history?
Nearly from the outset, the padres at the San Gabriel Mission tested the fertility of the lands belonging to the mission, successfully growing limes, pomegranates, figs, peaches, pears, and apples. More notably, they were soon nurturing acres and acres of grape vines and orange trees. Cuttings from their vines and seeds from their orange trees would eventually spread vineyards and orange groves throughout California. In light of these achievements, the Mission has often been called the “Mother of Agriculture in California.” Along with its fruit products, the mission boasted thousands of horses, sheep, and cattle, with Indian women learning to spin and weave the sheep’s wool, while the cattle provided hides, tallow, and meat. Even after the mission’s influence declined, the San Gabriel Valley continued to be a land filled with grazing sheep and cattle, fruit orchards, and fields of grain, as Mexican and American ranchers and farmers maintained the agricultural traditions of the Francisc
