The Ohlone way of life was changed forever. The Franciscan Fathers began converting the Ohlones to Catholicism and changing them into farmers, herders, laborers, and craftsmen. Hundreds of them came to live and work at the Mission which became the center of their religious, education, social, and economic lives. Under the Padres directions they learned to make clothes, shoes, utensils, tools, ropes, and candles. They cared for the animals, raised crops, erected adobe buildings, and eventually even constructed a big church. Mission San Jose baptized more Indians than any other mission and reached a peak population of 1,900. Disease and change of lifestyle killed many and decreased their number. Some Ohlone people did not want to live at the Mission, but their old way of life quickly disappeared.
The site was blessed with wonderful natural resources. Under the resourceful direction of dedicated Padres, Mission San Jose thrived and grew until it became the most prosperous and successful mission in Northern California. Its vast herds of cattle, horses, mules, and sheep roamed the East Bay and the valleys and hills far to the east. It furnished much of the food for other missions and government entities. Many foreigners came to visit and trade for Mission products.
Father Narciso directed the Mission from 1806 to 1833. Under his leadership the adobe church was completed in 1809 and the Mission gained recognition for its music and choir.
Mission San Jose survives today as a reminder of our Spanish heritage and a memorial to the thousands of Native Americans who lived, worked, and died here. This is where the first Christian Church, school, industry, farming, and cattle raising in Alameda County began. The adobe museum building is a surviving remnant of the huge original rectangle of living quarters, shops, and storerooms. A replica of the 1809 adobe church was completed in 1984.
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