The San Miguel Mission Letterbox LbNA #76089
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Add Location| Owner: | Hello From Bakersfield  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | May 13, 2022 |
| Location: | San Miguel Mission |
| City: | San Miguel |
| County: | San Luis Obispo |
| State: | California |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Hello From Bakersfield |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Jun 20, 2023 |
| Status: | aaO |
| Last edited: | Jun 24, 2023 |
The San Miguel Mission Letterbox
Mission San Miguel, Arcangel, (the 16th of California’s missions) was founded over 200 years ago. The history of this area extends back before the mission with the oldest known residents being the Native Americans that lived here, the Salinan Indians (the Tulareno Indians were also involved in the mission’s history). This history extends forward in time through the development of the railroad and World War II. There is a great book by Wallace V. Ohles, The Lands of Mission San Miguel, if you’d like more detail about the surrounding lands and the historical happenings in this area. You might find some areas to dig for hidden gold! Other interesting stories in the book discuss where all of the hot springs in this area are located and how San Miguel missed out on being the hub of North County- its replacement being Paso Robles. The original mission itself had a relatively short life when you compare it to all that happened before and after. The mission was even a ranch house at one time where a notorious family murder occurred.
To find the San Miguel Mission letterbox, head to the San Miguel Mission just off of Highway 101. Stop and park near the *southern end* of the mission where the iconic bell tower is located. Interestingly, one of the builders of this bell tower was the father of a docent at the Rios-Caledonia adobe. If you stop there after your letterboxing adventure, I’m sure she has some stories about this!
Once parked, walk DIRECTLY south across the street from the San Miguel Mission bell tower to the most western Rios Caledonia Adobe sign (there are two) on a wooden fence-*the one with the missing letters. It is to the right of the male painted wooden figure. Make sure to look for oncoming traffic both ways as this is a surprisingly busy road!
While standing in front of the sign, look directly to your left. There is a cinderblock portion to the fence and the closest part to you has two openings. Find the San Miguel Mission Letterbox at the *bottom opening* hidden within. It is not deep into this block.
Make sure no traffic is around to keep this box hidden.
This is the western part of the wall. When looking at the main entrance to the Rios Caledonia, *it is the western-most cinderblock ballard of the entrance fence and the closest to the freeway. As you reach for the box, your back will be to the freeway.
Thank you for visiting the letterbox. We have stamped postcards so you can mail a postcard to us with your stamp-there is a post box just down the road in San Miguel.
Please see both the Mission and the Rios-Caledonia Adobe for more information on this historical area while you are here!
Hike length: 0.1 miles
Mission San Miguel, Arcangel, (the 16th of California’s missions) was founded over 200 years ago. The history of this area extends back before the mission with the oldest known residents being the Native Americans that lived here, the Salinan Indians (the Tulareno Indians were also involved in the mission’s history). This history extends forward in time through the development of the railroad and World War II. There is a great book by Wallace V. Ohles, The Lands of Mission San Miguel, if you’d like more detail about the surrounding lands and the historical happenings in this area. You might find some areas to dig for hidden gold! Other interesting stories in the book discuss where all of the hot springs in this area are located and how San Miguel missed out on being the hub of North County- its replacement being Paso Robles. The original mission itself had a relatively short life when you compare it to all that happened before and after. The mission was even a ranch house at one time where a notorious family murder occurred.
To find the San Miguel Mission letterbox, head to the San Miguel Mission just off of Highway 101. Stop and park near the *southern end* of the mission where the iconic bell tower is located. Interestingly, one of the builders of this bell tower was the father of a docent at the Rios-Caledonia adobe. If you stop there after your letterboxing adventure, I’m sure she has some stories about this!
Once parked, walk DIRECTLY south across the street from the San Miguel Mission bell tower to the most western Rios Caledonia Adobe sign (there are two) on a wooden fence-*the one with the missing letters. It is to the right of the male painted wooden figure. Make sure to look for oncoming traffic both ways as this is a surprisingly busy road!
While standing in front of the sign, look directly to your left. There is a cinderblock portion to the fence and the closest part to you has two openings. Find the San Miguel Mission Letterbox at the *bottom opening* hidden within. It is not deep into this block.
Make sure no traffic is around to keep this box hidden.
This is the western part of the wall. When looking at the main entrance to the Rios Caledonia, *it is the western-most cinderblock ballard of the entrance fence and the closest to the freeway. As you reach for the box, your back will be to the freeway.
Thank you for visiting the letterbox. We have stamped postcards so you can mail a postcard to us with your stamp-there is a post box just down the road in San Miguel.
Please see both the Mission and the Rios-Caledonia Adobe for more information on this historical area while you are here!
Hike length: 0.1 miles