10/11/2026
On October 10, 1919, American botanist David Fairchild and his wife, Marian Hubbard Bell, visited Mission San Juan Capistrano.
As a botanist, Fairchild introduced over 200,000 species of plants and established crops from around the world to the United States, including but not limited to, kale, soybeans, pistachios, mangos, bamboo, avocados, nectarines, and dates. As manager of the Office of Seed and Plant Introduction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington D.C., he also helped bring cherry blossom trees to the capital, as a gift from Japan in 1912.
Fairchild’s visit to the Mission offers an interesting connection to the long history of agriculture and horticulture in California. Agriculture was central to the success of California’s missions. Food-producing gardens, orchards, vineyards, grain fields, and ranches all helped sustain mission communities. European crops and agricultural practices were introduced alongside Indigenous foodways, while irrigation and other techniques supported cultivation in California’s varied climates.
At Mission San Juan Capistrano, grapes were planted as early as 1779, so as to be used for the celebration of the Eucharist. This liturgical need ultimately contributed to the development of winemaking in Southern California 🍇
