There are 21 Spanish missions along California's El Camino Real, which literally translated is “The Royal Highway.” Their history is the history of early California, as they represent the arrival of the first non-Native Americans to the state. Creation of the string of missions marked the beginning of the civilization as we know it today.

Mission La Purísima was the 11th in the chain, founded Dec. 8, 1787, by Father Fermin Lasuen. It was located in a wide, picturesque valley a few miles northeast of Lompoc. La Purisima was named for the “Immaculate Concepción of Mary the Most Pure.”

The mission was moved after a devastating earthquake in 1812 to a new site four miles northeast and on the other side of the Santa Ynez River. The area is now a 966-acre state historic park - and just about a perfect spot for a missions museum, as is being proposed by a Madera-based non-profit organization.

The proposal, perhaps costing as much as $30 million, includes a wide range of historical information and structures that could rival Colonial Williamsburg on the East Coast.

The Heritage Discovery Center would not be just another theme park, but, instead, would offer the kinds of educational benefits that could help everyone from school-aged children on up. Everything from the history of the missions to the local ecology could be included.

Mission La Purisima is a little off the beaten path - El Camino Real is miles to the east - so such a center could help bring visitors to the Lompoc area and generally benefit the entire Central Coast, because it would be the first of its kind. It's a plan worthy of consideration by local officials.

January 2, 2006

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