Rededication of Mission Padre San Francisco: Celebrating 300 Years of Christianity in Cherokee County
By Deborah Burkett
Exciting things are happening in Cherokee County, especially near Alto on State Highway 21.
The Caddo Friends' Group Grass House Project is now under construction at the state historic site and for months plans have been in the making for the rededication of Spanish Mission Padre San Francisco.
These two current events are open to the public and it's worth your while to seek them out. It's not often one can participate in such historically significant activities in one's own back yard, so to speak. We, in the Cherokee County Historical Commission (CCHC), are proud to be partners in both projects.
In terms of the Tri-centennial mission project, it is spear-headed by the Nacogdoches County Historical Commission Reenactment Planning Committee, led by Dr. Morris Jackson.
In Cherokee County we are celebrating the Tri-centennial year of the Mission Padre San Francisco that was established 300 years ago in 1716 by Spanish Captain Domingo Ramon and Father Isidro Felix de Espinosa.
Our event, at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 5th, will be the first mission on Highway 21 to be rededicated. Then Mission Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe in Nacogdoches will be rededicated July 9th at Festival Park. Next, two more missions will be rededicated but because they are located on private property these small ceremonies will not open to the public.
During each rededication ceremony reenactors will participate in a short play - the scripts were written by Dr. Morris Jackson using original Spanish documents so as to recreate the original ceremony from 1716. Thanks to Jackson's meticulous research, I have a summary of the history of the expedition. Portions of which are included here.
Mission Padre San Francisco
"In 1690, the Spanish had tried to place two missions in East Texas in present day Houston County, but these failed for various reasons and the Spanish abandoned the missions in 1693.
Twenty-two years later in 1715, French traders led by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis came here from Mobile to open a trade route with the Native Indians. The French called the members of the various tribes in the area the Cenis and the Spanish referred to this group as the Tejas.
In response to St. Denis's contraband trading in Spanish claimed territory, the Spanish sent soldiers and priests to settle the land. Captain Domingo Ramon in April of 1716 led an entourage of 75 plus people into the Province of Texas. This group consisted of twelve Franciscan Friars who during the trip performed more than 300 high and low masses at all the resting places and more than 10 giant wooden crosses were erected at each of the major stream crossings.
Captain Ramon brought 25 soldiers into the frontier to protect the friars and he constructed a fort or presidio near the center of the four missions. Besides the soldiers and priests this group also contained seven married women and an eighth young lady, a member of one of the families, was married to a soldier on the trip. Two unnamed children ages 6 and 4 were part of this entourage and a baby was born on the trip. In addition, eight other male Spaniards came as assistants and another fourteen men participated as herders for the animals they brought with them. Three Frenchmen, concluding Captain St. Denis, acted as guides and interpreters and then the French return to Louisiana. Two unnamed Indian guides and three unnamed goat herders completed the list of 79 ..."
Afterword
The ceremony was held July 5th on Highway 21, approx. 5 1/2 miles west from the four-way stop in Alto. The location was at a large pull off on the side of road next to the relocated 1936 Mission state historical marker. After the event, a complimentary lunch was served at a reception held at the Caddo Mounds Museum, sponsored by the Friends' Group and the Cherokee County Historical Commission. Special thanks to Tony Souther and Rachel Galan and the entire staff at Caddo Mounds Sate Historic Site and to Jeff Williams, President of the Caddo Friends' Group. Their support has been greatly appreciated.
The accompanying photos are from the rededication. Approximately 75 people attended--not including the re-enactors. There were children, citizens from all parts of Cherokee County, as well as members from county historical commissions in Cherokee, Wood, Houston, Collin and Nacogdoches Counties.
Everyone who attended received a printed program and a complimentary bell to ring at the end of the ceremony.
Captain Domingo Ramon, the main reenactor, played by Tony Jasso, speaking to the gathered crowd.
Deborah Burkett, Chair Cherokee County Historical Commission with Tommy Slay, the Chairman of the Nacogdoches County Historical Commission ringing the bell, with the Spanish Flag in the foreground. Both are members of the Nacogdoches Reenactment Planning Committee for the four missions rededicated in July 2016.
The Spanish Soldados (soldiers) L to R Bill Earley, Jeff Opperman and Jay Jackson, then Jimmy Partin as Louis Juchereau de St. Denis and Tommy Slay as Father Manuel Castellanos.
Mission_San_Francisco_CCHC_Dedication_Program_7-5-16.pdf