Mission Santa Cruz

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Mission Santa Cruz was established in 1791 near today's intersection of Center and Laurel streets. The following year, in a new location on higher ground, construction began on a complex of buildings that formed the early nucleus of Santa Cruz. In 1931, Phelan family heir Gladys Sullivan Doyle funded construction of a reduced-scale mission chapel replica. The original chapel site is today's Holy Cross church.

Buildings outside of the main Mission complex included a tannery (later the Boston & Jones tannery, and a grist mill on Laurel Creek. According to Rowland, in 1796 Governor Borica sent artisans to build the grist mill, using iron work brought in 1792 by explorer George Vancouver.