Mission San Gabriel

Expansion Diffusion

The Spanish

Beginning in 1796, Serrano Villages were invaded and the inhabitants brought to the missions to live and work. Sometimes they agreed to join the mission but sometimes it was without their consent. The missionaries found the San Bernardino Valley ripe for development. It had everything available; water, pasture land, trees for building and firewood. And it had Indians to serve as a labor force. This labor force was the Serrano, peace-loving denizens of this resource-rich land, interested in the life of the spirit. San Bernardino and its inhabitants became a part of the mission system of San Gabriel Archangel.