California Missions
This page lists books and resources about all the missions.
If you are looking for books about a specific mission, go to the page for that mission.
Books at Mission Elementary Library
Projects & Layouts
Summary: Gives instructions for building a model of a California mission building. Also includes a brief history of the missions and their building techniques.
Call Number: 726.9 Nel
Citation: Nelson, Libby and Kari A. Cornell. Projects & Layouts. Lerner Publishing, 1998.
Missions
Summary: Describes the missions built in America by the Spanish and examines their political, military, and religious significance.
Call Number: 973.2 Sto
Citation: Stone, Lynn M. Missions. Rourke Publications, 1993.
Spanish Missions
Summary: Describes mission life during the Spanish colonial period in the southwestern United States, the plight of Native Americans and Roman Catholic missionaries, and Spanish missions today.
Call Number: 978 Kal
Citation: Kalman, Bobbie. Spanish Missions. Crabtree Publishing, 1996.
Time of the Bells
Call Number: 974.9 Pou
Citation: Pourade, Richard F. Time of the Bells. Union-Tribune Publishing Co. 1961.
The Spanish Missions of California
Summary: Introduces the Spanish missions established along the California coast.
Call Number: 979.4 Gen
Citation: Gendell, Megan. The Spanish Missions of California. Children's Press, 2010.
Live Again Our Mission Past
Call Number: 979.4 Kus
Citation: Kuska, George. Live Again Our Mission Past. Arts' Books, 1983.
California's Hispanic Roots for Kids/Los Raices Hispanas de California para los Ninos
Call Number: 979.4 Lin
Citation: Linse, Barbara and George Kuska. California's Hispanic Roots for Kids/Los Raices Hispanas de California para los Ninos. Art's Publications, 1995.
The California Missions : A Pictorial History (by Sunset Magazine)
Summary: A visitor's guide to the founding, ruination, and eventual restoration of the California missions
Call Number: 979.4 Sun
Citation: The California Missions : A Pictorial History. Lane Publishing Co., 1979.
The California Missions (by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk)
Summary: Describes Spain's efforts to colonize and spread Christianity in the New World in the eighteenth century by building twenty-one missions along the coastal areas of what is now the state of California.
Call Number: 979.402 Van
Citation: Van Steenwyk, Elizabeth. The California Missions. F. Watts, 1995.
Articles
"Spanish Missions" in Encyclopedia Brittanica
Reading Level: 1 or 2
Read Aloud: Yes
Citation: "Spanish Missions." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2018. school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/Spanish-Missions/353471.
"Mission Indians" in Encyclopedia Brittanica
Reading Level: 3
Read Aloud: Yes
Citation: "Mission Indians." Britannica School, Encyclopædia Britannica, 29 Mar. 2007. school.eb.com/levels/high/article/Mission-Indians/52981.
"The Missions" in the Library of Congress
Summary: This short article from the Library of Congress is part of the collection California as I Saw It: First-Person Narratives of California's Early Years, 1849 to 1900. You can also listen to the article read to you.
Read Aloud: Yes
Citation: United States Library of Congress. "The Missions." Library of Congress. www.loc.gov/collections/california-first-person-narratives/articles-and-essays/early-california-history/missions/
Websites
"The California Missions Trail" from the California Department of Parks
Summary: This page from the California Department of Parks has a short paragraph about each mission with contact information.
Citation: "The California Missions Trail." California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2018. www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22722
California Missions Resource Center
Summary: This website endorsed by the California Museum has information, photos, maps, stories, and an "Ask an Expert" section. There is also a store where you can buy other resources.
Citation: California Missions Resource Center. Pentacle Press, 2018. www.missionscalifornia.com.
"Spanish Missions" from the California Frontier Project
Citation: Bachich, David. "Spanish Missions." The California Frontier Project, 2018. www.californiafrontier.net/category/spanish-missions/
Summary: This website endorsed by the California Museum has lots of information, maps, and pictures.
Citation: California Mission Guide. WYGK Publishing, 2015. www.californiamissionguide.com/.
The Spanish Missions of California
Summary: This website endorsed by the California Museum has lots of information and pages for each mission.
Citation: The Spanish Missions of California. Tricia Weber, 2006. www.californias-missions.org/.
Pictures
"California Missions" in California Digital Library
Summary: These images of the California missions show the transformation of the mission structures over the past two centuries. Some show the types of people who would have lived in or visited the missions.
Citation: "California Missions." Calisphere University of California, California Digital Library, 2009. calisphere.org/exhibitions/7/california-missions/
Album of Views of the Missions of California
Summary: Postcard pictures of the California Missions in the 1890s.
Citation: Album of Views of the Missions of California. Souvenir Publishing Company, ca. 1890. quarriesandbeyond.org/states/ca/structures/pdf/album_of-views_of_the_missions_of_california_early_1890s.pdf
Books & DVDs at Oceanside Public Library
DVDs
Missions of California
Summary: Video tour which takes viewers inside all 21 missions, this film journey's through California history beginning in San Diego and ending 21 missions later in the romantic wine country Napa-Sonoma with Mission San Francisco Solano. The program also features some of California's legendary personalities as well as major events through the use of rare photographs and rare archival film.
Civic Center Call Number: DVD--EDUCATIONAL
Mission Branch Call Number: DVD--EDUCATIONAL
Citation: Missions of California. Narrated by R. J. Adams, Shannon and Co. Productions, 2007.
Inside the California Missions
Summary: A tour of the 21 California missions extending from San Diego to north of San Francisco. These missions were founded by the Franciscan friars between 1769 and 1823.
Civic Center Call Number: DVD--DOCUMENTARY
Mission Branch Call Number: DVD--DOCUMENTARY
Citation: Inside the California Missions. Produced by Kathy Gay, Cultural Videos, 2006
Books
Spanish Missions
Civic Center Call Number: J 979 PER
Mission Branch Call Number: J 979 PER
Citation: Perritano, John. Spanish Missions. Children’s Press, 2010.
The Spanish Missions of California
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 GEN
Mission Branch Call Number: J 979.4 GEN
Bookmobile Call Number: J 979.4 GEN
Citation: Gendell, Megan. The Spanish Missions of California. Children's Press, 2010.
Spanish Missions of the Old West
Summary: Describes the role of Spanish missionaries during the Spanish colonial period in the southwestern United States, discusses mission life, and explores the reasons for the end of the mission era.
Civic Center Call Number: J 979 HIG
Mission Branch Call Number: J 979 HIG
Citation: Higgins, Nadia. Spanish Missions of the Old West. Rourke Publishing, 2007.
Spanish Missions
Summary: Takes readers on an amazing journey to a fascinating time in U.S. history when the country was going through dynamic changes and expanding westward, providing the keys to discovering the important people, places, and events that shaped the western United States.
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.402 DIT
Mission Branch Call Number: J 979.402 DIT
Citation: Ditchfield, Christin. Spanish Missions. Children’s Press, 2006.
Lives of the California Coast Nations
Civic Center Call Number: J 970.4 ALO
Mission Branch Call Number: J 970.4 ALO
Citation: Aloian, Molly. Lives of the California Coast Nations. Crabtree Publishing Co., 2005.
Indians of the California Mission Frontier
Summary: Indians of the California Mission Frontier talks about what life was like for the neophytes who joined the missions. A controversial subject for many historians, this book provides a balanced picture of the diversity of the California Indians and the mission experience. It shows us what daily life was like, how the mission Indians’ culture changed, and which traditions they were able to keep. It talks about the kinds of conflicts there were between the missionaries and the people they were trying to convert. It also talks about some of the good things that came from the mission experience.
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 WIL
Civic Center Call Number: R J 979.4 WIL
Citation: Williams, Jack S. Indians of the California Mission Frontier. Powerkids Press, 2004.
Missions and Presidios
Summary: Explains how missions came to be, and what their purpose was.
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 BIA
Mission Branch Call Number: J 979.4 BIA
Citation: Bial, Raymond. Missions and Presidios. Children’s Press, 2004.
Sailors, Merchants, and Muleteers of the California Mission Frontier
Summary: Details the daily life of sailors, merchants, and muleteers in the societies that grew up around early California missions.
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 WIL
Civic Center Call Number: R J 979.4 WIL
Citation: Williams, Jack S. Sailors, Merchants, and Muleteers of the California Mission Frontier. Powerkids Press, 2004.
Townspeople and Ranchers of the California Mission Frontier
Summary: Describes the daily life of townspeople and ranchers at early California missions.
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 WIL
Civic Center Call Number: R J 979.4 WIL
Citation: Williams, Jack S. Townspeople and Ranchers of the California Mission Frontier. Powerkids Press, 2004.
Soldiers and Their Families of the California Mission Frontier
Summary: Soldiers of the California Mission Frontier and Their Families explains why Spain sent soldiers to California, and paints a picture of what life was like for the soldiers living and working at the California missions and presidios. There to protect the padres and the Native Americans who lived on the missions, the soldiers also made these communities their home. They raised families, worked the land, and formed relationships with the people they had come to protect. The book also explains what life was like for the women and children of the mission soldiers.
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 WIL
Civic Center Call Number: R J 979.4 WIL
Citation: Williams, Jack S. Soldiers and Their Families of the California Mission Frontier. Powerkids Press, 2003.
The California Missions
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 HEI
Mission Branch Call Number: J 979.4 HEI
Citation: Heinrichs, Ann. The California Missions. Compass Point Books, 2002.
Projects & Layouts
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 NEL
Mission Branch Call Number: J 979.4 NEL
Citation: Nelson, Libby and Kari A. Cornell. Projects & Layouts. Lerner Publishing, 1998.
The California Missions
Civic Center Call Number: R J 979.4
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 VAN
Citation: Van Steenwyk, Elizabeth. The California Missions. F. Watts, 1995.
California's Hispanic Roots for Kids/Los Raices Hispanas de California para los Ninos
Civic Center Call Number: R J 979.4
Citation: Linse, Barbara and George Kuska. California's Hispanic Roots for Kids/Los Raices Hispanas de California para los Ninos. Art's Publications, 1995.
California Mission Fact Cards
Mission Branch Call Number: R J 979.4
Citation: California Mission Fact Cards. Toucan Valley, 1992.
California Missions: A Guide to the State’s Spanish Heritage
Mission Branch Call Number: R J 979.4
Citation: Lee, Gregory. California Missions: A Guide to the State’s Spanish Heritage. Renaissance House, 1992.
The Missions of California
Civic Center Call Number: OVERSIZE 979.4 LEV
Citation: Levick, Melba. The Missions of California. Chronicle Books, 1988.
The Decoration of the California Missions
Civic Center Call Number: R J 979.4 NEU
CItation: Neuerburg, Norman. The Decoration of the California Missions. Bellerophon Books, 1987.
Whispers Along the Mission Trail
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 FAB
Civic Center Call Number: R J 979.4
Mission BranchCall Number: J 979.4 FAB
Citation: Faber, Gail. Whispers Along the Mission Trail. Magpie Publications, 1986.
The California Missions : A Pictorial History
Civic Center Call Number: J 979.4 SUN
Mission Branch Call Number: J 979.4 SUN
Mission Branch Call Number: OVERSIZE 979.4 CAL
Citation: The California Missions : A Pictorial History. Lane Publishing Co., 1979.