Hidden among the rolling hills and picturesque valleys of California's coastal mountain range is the quiet mission town of San Juan Bautista. Forged by the San Andreas Fault, the same stunning
environment that attracted Spanish missionaries to establish Mission San Juan Bautista in 1797 would invite multitudes of visitors and settlers during the first years of California's statehood. Bypassed by the railroad in the 1870s, the town saw its population dwindle and seemed likely to fade unnoticed into history. In the 1930s, the structures around the ancient mission plaza narrowly avoided...