Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, San Luis Obispo (must see)

Old Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa holds a significant place in the history of Central California. Established on September 1st, 1772, by Father Junipero Serra, it is the fifth mission in the chain and is named after Saint Louis, Bishop of Toulouse.

The mission's founding followed an expedition where the explorers stumbled upon the Valley of the Bears, known as La Cañada de Los Osos. When food supplies were scarce at the existing missions in California, an expedition was sent to hunt for meat in the valley. The local Indians, grateful for the soldiers' assistance in eliminating bears, traded edible seeds in return for the meat. Father Serra recognized the potential of the region and decided it would be an ideal location for the fifth mission. While the city of San Luis Obispo has since evolved and is no longer a bear-inhabited territory, a statue of a grizzly bear in the mission plaza serves as a reminder of its earlier days.

In 1776, a devastating fire broke out at the mission when an Indian fired a flaming arrow onto one of the mission buildings. This event prompted the fathers to start producing roof tiles locally to reduce the risk of future fires. Over time, the mission underwent modernization and adaptation to changing needs. For example, what was once the fathers' soup kitchen now serves as a youth center.

Remarkably, Old Mission San Luis Obispo has remained on its original site and has never had to relocate. The mission's walls, reaching heights of 50 to 60 feet, were constructed according to Vatican law, which required churches to be as tall as the local trees—in this case, the pine trees. The mission's unique architecture features a long secondary nave that forms an L-shaped church, making it the only mission in California with this distinctive layout.