Located in the parking lot of a business park in Fairfield sits a building which might be one of the oldest and most historically significant structures in Solano County. Known as the Mangels Ranch Adobe, it used to be in the middle of a field as recently as 2005. That field has been paved and built upon and now is the “Pony Express Office Park”. The adobe sits, preserved by the developer, surrounded by the automobiles of workers and customers, under a large live oak tree. So, why was this building preserved when so many historically significant buildings and sites have fallen to the bulldozer and the wrecking ball? That is a story of Spanish colonization, native resistance, religion, the mail, and a healthy dose of local speculation.
Beginning in 1768, the Spanish began to colonize the land they called “Alta California”. In May, Jose de Galvez planned an expedition to begin colonization, led by Gaspar de Portola. In 1769, both the Presidio and Mission of San Diego were established, becoming the first European settlement in what is now California. As Portola, Crespi, Serra and others continued northward, a series of Presidios, Pueblos, and Missions were established from San Diego to north of the San Francisco Bay, with the aim of consolidating Spanish control over “Las Californias”. While the Presidios of San Diego, Monterey and San Francisco are well known, it was the missions which have become the symbol of the Spanish era of California’s history. Many see the twenty one missions as stand alone churches as they exist today. In fact, each mission was the centerpiece of a large agricultural holding, worked by native “acolytes” and many had assistencias, or submissions like San Antonio de Pala, an assistencia of San Luis Rey or Santa Ysabel, an assistencia of San Diego de Acala. The final mission to be founded was San Francisco de Solano in Sonoma in 1823. There was an attempt to start a mission in Santa Rosa in 1827, but it was soon aborted especially after the native “neophytes” of Mission San Francisco de Solano revolted and burned the mission in 1826.
Mission San Francisco de Solano had an assistencia known as Santa Eulalia in what is now Solano County, near Cordelia or Fairfield. Santa Eulalia was founded in 1824 to serve the Suisunes and Patwin tribes and was located on the rancho granted to Francisco Solano. The Mangles Adobe is said to be one of the original buildings for the assistencia which was in existence from 1824 until 1832, when the missions began to be “secularized” and sold off by the Mexican government. Some locals call it the “lost mission” with a bit of hyperbole.
There is a sign, now badly faded, which stated that the structure “possibly” dates to 1836, still making it one of the oldest structures in Solano County but not of an age to be part of the Santa Eulalia assistencia. It has also been rumored that the building was used as a Pony express stop, or as a resting place for those going to catch the Benicia Ferry. Whether or not the Mangels Adobe is any of these things is open to interpretation, but there is scant documentary evidence for any of these theories. Still, it stands, preserved as allegedly one of the oldest building in Solano County and a possible assistencia, Pony Express stop, or just an old farm building, in a parking lot.
GETTING THERE: From 414 Mason Street take I-80 East. Take exit 41 and turn left onto Pittman Road/Suisun Valley Road. Turn left onto Mangels Drive and then right on to WestAmerica Drive. The adobe is in the parking lot behind 4610 WestAmerica Drive, Fairfield, CA.
