Sam Farr: “I rise in support of H.R. 1446, which is known as the California Missions Preservation Act. This is truly a bipartisan…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 1446, which is known as the California Missions Preservation Act. This is truly a bipartisan piece of legislation cosponsored by 48 of my California colleagues. I also want to thank the efforts of the gentleman from California (Mr. Pombo) and the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) for moving this legislation to the floor today. Mr. Speaker, even before the fuse that led to the explosion of American independence was lit at the Boston Tea Party, the first California mission was established in San Diego in 1769. The last mission in the chain was established in 1823 in Sonoma. All 21 missions are California registered historical landmarks, seven of which have Federal status of national historical landmarks. I am fortunate to have five of the 21 missions in my congressional district extending along the coast of California on what is known as the El Camino Real, or the King's Highway, that would link the missions, now commonly known as Highway 101. Those missions are in Santa Cruz, in San Juan Bautista, in the city of Soledad, a mission called San Antonio de Padua which is in Fort Hunter Liggett; and in my own hometown of Carmel, San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo, known as Carmel Mission. The California missions represent a historic vein running through the State from the south to the north. They also symbolize the east to west exploration that expanded our Nation to its four corners.”