Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, the fourth of the missions, was founded on 8 Sep 1771 by Friars Somera and Cambon. It is the home of the Campo Santo, the first cemetery in California. A large cross marks the final resting place of over 6000 neophytes as well as many Franciscan Priests.
Wikipedia has an interesting article on this mission, which discusses whether the local people were in fact indoctrinated and used as slave labor. Like so many early settlements in California, this is an issue and some missions and settlements were worse than others.
The mission was secularized with the end of the Spanish rule of Mexico. For a time in the 1850s it became the home of a rather notorious saloon. In the 1860s the chapel was used as a local parish. In 1908 the Claretian Missionaries took over the grounds and worked to restore the buildings. Today the grounds are open for all to see. There are some great exhibits including indoor and outdoor kitchens, a winery and vats for candles and more.
CALIFORNIA REGISTRER HISTORICAL LANDMARK #158 old mission site # 161
