The Days of a Man 1891 



founding of missions in Alta California. The road 

 on which the Quadrangle fronts we called Serra 

 Avenue in memory of the Franciscan padre, Juni- 

 pero Serra, who built the first missions, performing 

 marvels of energy and patience in dealing with the 

 Indians, for whose salvation, temporal and spiritual, 

 the work was planned. Lasuen Street is named for 

 Firmin Lasuen, the self-contained successor of the 

 impulsive and visionary Serra. 



Other streets bear the names of Cabrillo, first ex- 

 plorer; of Portola, first governor; of Arguello, a later 

 one ; of Padre Crespi, historian of Portola's expedi- 

 tion ; ! of Costanzo, its civil engineer; and of Flores 

 and Rivera, two of its officers. For it will be re- 

 Don membered that the gallant Caspar de Portola had 

 come U P tne coast from Monterey, seeking the lost 

 " Bay of St. Francis " recorded long before by Viz- 

 caino, but which is in reality Drake's Bay, lying to 

 the north of the fog-hidden Golden Gate. Crossing 

 the hills behind Point San Pedro, Portola and his 

 men looked down on what they termed "a Medi- 

 terranean Sea," and named it for the founder of 

 their order, Francisco de Assisi. Descending then 

 toward this great sheet of water, they halted on the 

 little "Arroyo de San Francisquito," at the ford by 

 the present Middlefield bridge, not far from the 

 "tall tree." Here the characteristic tangle of brush, 

 added to the unfriendliness of the Indians, caused 

 them to turn back and make their way along the 

 shore to Monterey again. 



During the summer, the Inner Quadrangle and 

 Encina 1 Hall, a fine big dormitory for men, were 



1 The Spanish name of the live oak ^urcus agrifolia. 



