Teacher’s California Missions

Stories of the California Missions is a collection of short narratives of interesting events connected with the 21 missions of Alta California during the mission period—between 1769 and 1846. It contains printed and audio versions of 16 stories that bring history to life. As you listen, you will have a sense of what it was like to live in a time and place where ordinary people eked out a hard existence as they laid the foundations for what would become the prosperous land of California.

70 minutes of listening entertainment and education for travelers, educators, students, and anyone interested in U.S. and/or California history! PLUS:

* Pages of fascinating facts about life in the missions and the mission era
* Printed versions of audio stories for quick reference
* Teacher’s guide for using stories for teaching history
* Descriptions, maps, and other info about each of the 21 missions
* Links to each mission’s website

Travelers: If you are anywhere on the California coast from Sonoma to San Diego, these stories enliven a trip to any one or more of the missions. As you drive, listen to true tales of Indian raids, pirate attacks, courageous deeds, forbidden romance, stolen treasures, and more. Make the most of your travel time and your visits.

Educators: Make your presentations about California missions more than when and why the missions were founded. Help your students understand and feel the lives and adventures of the 19th-century priests, soldiers, natives, and their visitors. Make history fun! See “Teaching about the Mission Period through Stories.”

Students: Learning history is exciting when you can look into the lives of the people who lived it. What makes a young man choose to spend 30 years in an untamed wilderness? How does an ancient, unschooled woman already know what the priests want to teach? Why didn’t the priests want the missions to be near forts or towns? How did a few men on horseback turn back a force of 350 armed men? Why were 3 armies chasing one Indian? How could he escape them? The stories in this app are history the way it was meant to be written . . . the way it was lived.