I haven't connected all twenty-one dots along the Historic Mission Trail yet, but San Miguel de Arcangel is one of my favorites. For one thing, it is full of ghosts! It was founded in 1797 by Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, and its worn adobe walls and gateways never fail to transport me back in time. It is located on a tranquil spot by the Salinas River. Of all the missions in California, it is the most authentic. The interior has never been painted. All the pictures, now faded with age, are all originals.
Within its faded walls, however, is a tale of a horrific night of mass murder. If you believe in ghosts, then this is the mission for you! Like most of the missions following secularization in 1834, this one remained abandoned and neglected until 1846. Petronillo Rios and William Reed took possession of it in 1846 and converted it into living quarters and a commercial store Two years later on the night of December 4th, six men arrived to sell their gold. The Reed family had no idea the group was made up of murderous desperados and military deserters. The men left in the morning, only to return the next night. They killed William Reed first with an axe and then his wife, children and household staff-eleven people in all, including an unborn child. They had come back for money and valuables.
A posse of 37 men was formed in Santa Barbara and they were able to find the murderers on Ortega Hill in present day Summerland. One man was killed; another jumped into the ocean and drowned. The remaining men were captured and later executed by firing squad in Santa Barbara.
The mission was returned to the Franciscans in 1928. They don't like to talk about that night much for obvious reasons. The tranquility of the place belies such a gruesome history. The Reed family now rests in peace.
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