San Gabriel - Imagine living in the old days of dirt roads and having to walk to a river, get your own water in hand-made baskets, then trek back to drink, cook and use the water for painting, cleaning and other uses. So, where was the nearest river or stream?

Hart's research spanned 17 years to develop these were maps of San Gabriel Mission, El Molino Viejo (known as the Old Mill) and La Presa Mill, and a few other works that some people have called unmatched while visiting his current exhibit at Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, according to a mission spokesperson.

"It's been interesting and exciting as these maps and drawings and paintings have come together," said Hart, who is retired after working nearly 40 years as vice president and general manager of Sunny Slope Water Company in Pasadena.

Visiting a local historic landmark may not sound exciting to a few people, until they visit a site like San Gabriel Mission where you can imagine seeing the Gabrieleno-Tongva Indians and other people in the early mission era simply going about their daily tasks of making adobe bricks for buildings, planting food crops, and creating clay pots that were used in kitchens to help cook food needed to survive, said Al Sanchez, mission business manager.

"They first had to have water to survive and to use during their day."

Orders for prints of all eight artworks is available at www.michaeljhart.com. Hart said he will have all eight artworks available for viewing on Jan. 7, and can take orders. He and his family have donated three special museum-quality framed artworks to San Gabriel Mission for permanent display after the unveiling on Jan. 7.

This event is planned as an opportunity for the public to interact with Hart in an informal setting so that everyone can share information and learn more about history, said a mission spokesperson. And, visitors also can see the mission church, museum, grounds, Indian house, and mission building models of all 21 missions in California on a self-guided tour.

Mission History Day was started on June 4, 2005 so that, once a month on a Saturday, visitors can learn more about mission history: people, cultures, events, buildings, artwork, artifacts, plant life and more. Some months a contest is scheduled. Contests have been mission model buildings, art, photography, and history challenges.

Persons age 17 and younger must be with a parent or guardian age 18 or older.
Admission fee is $3 for age six to 17, $5 for age 1

-61, $4 for seniors age 62 and older, and age five and younger is free. Free self-parking is available on a first-come basis in the church lot at the intersection of Mission Road and Junipero Serra Drive or on nearby streets. The address is 427 S. Junipero Serra Dr., San Gabriel, CA 91776, and the telephone number is 626-457-3048. San Gabriel Mission was founded on Sept. 8, 1771 and is the fourth oldest of 21 missions in California.
Submitted by Chuck Lyons, San Gabriel Mission