40 HISTORY OF PASADENA. 



From 1826 to 1833 the Friar Superior at San Gabriel was padre Jose 

 Bernardo Sanchez, a friend of Zalvidea, who had been his colleague since the 

 death of padre Nuez in December, 182 1 ; and he continued the system of 

 task work, of manufactures and trade already established ; and up to 1830 

 or ' 3 1 he sustained the business prestige and prosperity of the Mission quite 

 to the full — but by this time the disintegrating and demoralizing effects of 

 prospective secularization had begun its work among the Indians. They 

 gradually found out that they were not to be slaves any longer, but free 

 men — and so they would work less and less; get drunk, gamble, or stray 

 oJ0f more and more ; and thus the whole great business steadily declined, 

 and at last went out altogether.* 



1832 to '36 : Padre Alexis Bachelot. 



January 15, 1833 Padre Sanchez died at San Gabriel, and he was suc- 

 ceeded by Padre Tomas Eleuterio Estenega. In 1843 the entire business of 

 the Mission was put into Estenega's hands, there being no income to sup- 

 port a major domo any more; and in 1844 he was assisted by the presbyter, 

 Antonio M. Jimenez. 



June 8, 1846, the Mission property was all sold by Governor Pio Pico 

 to Hugo Reid and Wm. Workman. Reid was then justice of the peace, 

 and also auxiliary administrator of the Mission estate, which was heavily in 

 debt; they bought it subject to debts and other encumbering stipulations, 

 and Reid as administrator already had possession. But when Stockton and 

 Fremont took possession of the country for the United States, in August, 

 1846, they declared Governor Pico's sale of the property not in accordance 

 with Mexican law and equity in such cases, and thereupon ousted Reid and 

 Workman, and put Manuel Olvera in charge of the property, the same as 

 he had been from October, 1845, to the time of the purchase above men- 

 tioned. 



In February or March, '1847, Padre Estenega died; and he was suc- 

 ceeded by Padre Ordaz, who remained, but only as curate or parish priest, 

 until 1850; and I follow the clerical line of officials no further. 



SECULAR OFFICERS OF THE MISSION. 



But now, to go back again : From the founding of the Mission up to 

 1798, Jose Maria Verdugo (he of Verdugo ranch fame) was corporal of the 

 guard here ; and he was then succeeded by Pedro Poyorena — but there 

 seems to be no further record on this line. [Records lost.] 



The first inajor domo [general overseer] was Jose Miguel Flores. He 

 died in 1796. And the records so far as found do not seem to show by name 

 any successor until Claudio Eopez is named as major domo from 1821 until 

 February, 1836. But I am informed by his daughter-in-law, Senora Maria 



*The fatal defect of this whole Spanish system was that no eflfort was made to educate the Indians, 

 or teach them to read, and think and act lor themselves. Hence, as soon as the Mission authority over 

 them was broken they fell back into barbarism again. 



