DIVISION FIVE — NAMES. 39I 



feet to get a large enough area on top for the hotel buildings and grounds ; 

 and although it seems to loom up so loftily, the present top of the Raymond 

 hill is just level with the sidewalk at corner of Fair Oaks Avenue and Col- 

 orado street. 



Oak Knoll. — See page 344. 



The Old Mill. — In his work entitled "All About Pasadena," Prof, 

 Holder says : "As to the age of El Molino [the Mill] no one knows, and 

 there is no exact record of its builders ; so in a way it is as mysterious as 

 the mill in Newport, Rhode Island. ' ' This is all a mistake ; but he was led 

 into it by sundry errors about the Old Mill in the Farnsworth book, pub- 

 lished in 1883. This stone grist mill was built during the rigorous, ener- 

 getic, work-driving administration of Father Jose Maria Zah4dea, while he 

 served as official head of the San Gabriel Mission and brought it to its climax 

 of industrial and commercial success, from 1806 to 1826. The padre's "Old 

 Mill " building was 24x55 feet, with walls of solid masonry from three feet 

 to four feet nine inches thick, and was erected in 1810 to 1812.* There 

 were two great arches in the lower story (east front) where the water-wheel 

 was placed ; and in the upper story, or grinding room, there were two small 

 windows protected by iron bars and heavy shutters. The original roof was 

 of tiling. The Indians had been portioned off into about thirty classes of 

 work people, with Claudio Lopez as major-domo over all, and a minor-domo 

 or task-master, armed with rawhide whip, [see page 34.] over each class, 

 whose business it was to see that every man and woman worked daily, ac- 

 cording to rule. But the Indians so frequently revolted against their hard 

 overseers, or escaped to the mountains as hostiles, that rigid guarding and 

 severe punishments became necessary, as well as provision for a stronghold 

 against attacks of the " unconverted " Indians. Therefore the San Gabriel 

 Mission church as it now stands, as well as this mill building, seem to have 

 been made with a view to their serving as castles in time of possible need.f 

 And some parts of the mill, both above and below, were undoubtedly used 

 also as a jail or house of correction for the more obdurate offenders. 



In March, 1829, a Boston gentleman, Mr. A. Robinson, spent two or 

 three days at San Gabriel, having some trading business with Father 

 Sanchez there — for his Boston trading ship was then lying at San Pedro 

 harbor with a cargo of goods from Yankeeland. Mr. Robinson was a man 

 of culture ; spoke and read the Spanish language; and remained seventeen 

 years engaged in ship trade and land travel up and down the coast. In 



* Hugo Reid, in speaking of Father Zalvidea, says : " He it was who planted the huge vineyards 

 • * laid out the orange garden, fruit and olive orchards ; built the mill and dam ; made fences of 

 tunas [broad-leaved cactus] round the fields ; * * brought water Irom long distances ; " etc. 



t A spring flows out from beneath the heavy buttress at the northeast corner of the mill; and 

 some writers,' following the cue given by Miss Alice P. Adams in 18S3, have made a great mystery out of 

 it. But the explanation is simple enough. In case the Spanish soldiers and priests should ever find it 

 necessary to take refuge in the mill as a fort and withstand a siege by hostile Indians, this spring could 

 be reached by excavation from within, for a water supply. It was a wise precaution, but never hap- 

 pened to be needed. 



