Mission/Rancho Era – 1700s
Milpitas was along the route taken by the De Anza Expedition, and between Mission San Jose and Mission Santa Clara. There is a sign posted near the intersection of Calaveras and Milpitas Blvd., near City Hall, showing where the expedition passed through.
Alviso Adobe Park
The adobe’s history can be traced back to 1834, when its original owner, José Maria de Jesus Alviso, penned a petition describing what he had built: “two walled houses,” outside of which were 600 cattle, a 600-vine vineyard, and an orchard bearing 60 fruit trees. The function of the petition was for Alviso to gain formal ownership of the property, which he cited as “the place named Milpitas.” Tours are offered at 1PM, 2PM, and 3PM on the second Saturday of every month. You can RSVP here. If you have the app AdventureLab on your smart phone, there are 5 clues outside at this location. There is also 1 geocache.
2087 Alviso Adobe Ct.
Adobe Peralta House
The Peralta Adobe is San José’s oldest address. Built in 1797, the Peralta Adobe is the last remaining structure from El Pueblo de San José de Guadalupe.
California Missions Interactive Internet Field Trip
In May of 1995, some bicyclists road along the El Camino (King’s Highway) between 12 of the California Missions. They kept up an internet dialog with 4th grade students in Palo Alto.
The California missions school project is becoming a thing of the past. Here’s why
Building missions from sugar cubes or popsicle sticks does not help students understand the period and is offensive to many,” the new History-Social Science Framework adopted last year says. “Missions were sites of conflict, conquest, and forced labor. Students should consider cultural differences, such as gender roles and religious beliefs, in order to better understand the dynamics of Native and Spanish interaction.”
California Missions Resource Center
Your comprehensive guide to discovering the history behind the California missions and the people who founded and shaped the character of California.
El Camino de San Jose
El Camino nominally links the missions, but Mission San José in Fremont is nowhere near today’s El Camino Real. So what route did early Californians take from Mission Santa Clara to Mission San José? It goes along Main Street and Milpitas Boulevard in Milpitas!
A History of Mexican Americans in California
Hispanic settlement of what is now California began in 1769 when the Presidio and Catholic mission of San Diego were established.
Juan Bautista De Anza
National Historic Trail. In 1775-76 he led a contingent of 30 soldiers and their families to found a presidio and mission on the San Francisco Bay. Here is a map showing where he came to Milpitas. Translation of diaries of De Anza, Font and Eixarch.
Milpitas
Images of America
by Robert Burrill
$21.95 or $25 with author signature.
Call 408-263-5468 to order.
Robert L. Burrill, Milpitas filmmaker and photography teacher for more than 35 years, has combed the archives of the Milpitas Historical Society, private local collections, and his own works to find more than 200 vintage photographs chronicling the heritage, enterprise, and wit of Milpitas from the 1700s to the present day.
The Missions
The Franciscans came to California not merely to convert the tribes to Christianity but to train them for life in a European colonial society. Conversion was seldom an entirely voluntary process.
Model Behavior
The agony of the tradition of 4th grade Mission model building. The author wonders: What does this really teach? By David Templeton
Peralta Adobe
A 200-year old adobe home in the heart of downtown San Jose. This page tells you about its history.
Photo Gallery of California Missions & Other Hispanic Sites
A good site to begin your research into historic Spanish California. Contact information for dozens of historic places of this era.