Plaza Hall

This week, I shall be taking you over to San Juan Bautista, which is just a short hop from Highway 25, heading west on Highway 156. 

San Juan Bautista was a bustling city in the 1800s. Several stage coach lines stopped in the city every day. The Plaza Hall, also known as the Zanetta House, is one of the original structures from that time. It is part of the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park. Several rooms in the building have displays showing furniture, clothing, and other items from the 1800s. To learn more about this historic park, click here.

On the first Saturday of every month, the park holds a Living History Day. Park visitors can talk with Victorian ladies, mountain men, and other characters from various days of yore, as they give craft and cooking demonstrations. To learn more, check out the Plaza History Association Web site.

Peace Rally

Sorry, no San Juan Bautista post today. I'll resume tomorrow.

A peace rally was held last night in front of the Briggs Building in downtown Hollister. I heard that about 200 of us had come down to show our concern about the sudden increase in violent crime and gang activity.

The most recent incident occurred over the weekend. Early Saturday morning, a 14-year-old girl was shot to death.  The local police say it was an accident.  Although, the shooting was not thought to be gang-related, the gun used in the incident belonged to a gang member. To learn more about recent events, check out this article published by the Hollister Free Lance.

The rally was an impromptu call to the community by our leaders in government, education, and law enforcement to stand together in unity against violence. Some people dismiss it as a photo opportunity for the politicians. All I can say is that in the dark it's tough to take great photos. I like to think the peace rally was organized for reasons of sincerity and love and commitment for our community.

Hollister, overall, is a safe and peaceful city. To maintain that status, however, every one of us needs to be proactive.  Mike Sanchez, the San Benito County Superintendent of Schools, said it the best for me last night, " One person can't do everything, but everyone can do something."

Take 25 is participating in ABC Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Mrs. Nesbitt and her friends. Today is the letter P. To check out other P posts, please click HERE.

The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

This week, I shall be taking you over to San Juan Bautista, which is just a short hop from Highway 25, heading west on Highway 156. 

A three-mile segment of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a hiking trail in San Juan Bautista. The trail runs along the Old Stage Road, which is near the intersection of San Juan Canyon Road and San Juan Grade Road.

This national historic trail was the first overland trail from New Spain to San Francisco. It was named after Juan Bautista de Anza, of Spain, who led about 300 people—soldiers and their families—over 2,700 miles from Tubac, Sonora (now known as Nogales, Arizona) to San Francisco, California. Anza is also credited for choosing the sites for the Presidio of San Francisco  and Mission Dolores. The expedition started in October, 1775 and completed its journey in June, 1776.

For more information about this national historic trail, check out these Web sites:

 U.S. National Park Service Web page

The Trail Guide: San Benito County

Juan Bautista de Anza Historic Trail

Rally Against Crime

No one wants to hear about horrible events.

No one want to talk about them, either.

But, it is a reality.

And, in our community the increased activity in violence and crime is a reality. No doubt, many of you in Hollister have heard about the death of a fourteen year old girl who police believe was shot accidentally. For more about that, check out this article from the Hollister Free Lance.


Tomorrow night, at 8 p.m.,  there will be a Peace Rally on the grassy corner of San Benito and Fourth Streets. My understanding is that the purpose for the rally is to show community solidarity against crime, in particular gang activity.

Mission San Juan Bautista

This week, I shall be taking you over to San Juan Bautista, which is just a short hop from Highway 25, heading west on Highway 156. 

Mission San Juan Bautista is the 15th of the 21 California missions, which were founded by Spanish Franciscan friars. It was established in 1797. The mission lies on the San Andreas Fault in the middle of San Juan Valley.  To learn more about the mission, check out its Web site.