Editing San Rafael, California (section)

==History==
San Rafael was once the site of several [[Coast Miwok]] villages: ''Awani-wi'', near downtown San Rafael, ''Ewu'', near [[Terra Linda, San Rafael, California|Terra Linda]] and ''Shotomko-cha'', in [[Marinwood]].<ref>Peterson, Bonnie J. (1976). ''Dawn of the World: Coast Miwok Myths''. {{ISBN|0-912908-04-1}}</ref>

===Spanish period===
[[File:Mission_San_Rafael_(Oriana_Day).jpg|thumb|left|San Rafael was founded in 1817, when [[Mission San Rafael Arcángel]] was established by [[Vicente Francisco de Sarría|Vicente Sarría]].]]
{{main|Mission San Rafael Arcángel}}
[[Mission San Rafael Arcángel]] was founded as the 20th [[Spain|Spanish]] mission in the colonial province of ''[[Alta California]]'' by three priests—Father [[Narciso Durán]] from [[Mission San José (California)|Mission San José]], Father Abella from [[Mission San Francisco de Asís]], Father [[Luis Gíl y Taboada]] from [[La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora Reina de los Angeles]]—on December 14, 1817, four years before [[Mexico]] gained independence from [[Spain]]. The mission from which the downtown grew and the city being named after the [[Archangel]] [[Raphael (archangel)|Raphael]], the Angel of Healing.

The mission was originally planned as a hospital site for [[Central Valley (California)|Central Valley]] [[American Indians in the United States|American Indians]] who had become ill at the cold [[San Francisco]] [[Mission Dolores]]. Father Luis Gil, who spoke several Native American languages, was put in charge of the facility. In part because of its ideal weather, San Rafael was later upgraded to full mission status in 1822.

===Mexican period===
[[File:View of San Rafael (late 19th century).png|thumb|left|San Rafael in the late 19th century]]
The mission had 300 converts within its first year, and 1,140 converts by 1828.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=JACKSON|first=ROBERT H.|date=1984|title=Gentile Recruitment and Population Movements in the San Francisco Bay Area Missions|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27825191|journal=Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology|volume=6|issue=2|pages=225–239|jstor=27825191|issn=0191-3557}}</ref>

Following the [[Mexican secularization act of 1833]], the Mexican government took over the California missions in 1834, and [[Mission San Rafael]] was abandoned in 1844, eventually falling into ruin.

===American period===
San Rafael has been the seat of Marin County since April 25, 1851.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Room |first=Anne T. Kent California |date=2023-01-12 |title=When Tomales First Felt a Real Connection to Marin County |url=https://medium.com/anne-t-kent-california-room-community-newsletter/when-tomales-first-felt-a-real-connection-to-marin-county-ffedcc410ac2 |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=Anne T. Kent California Room Newsletter |language=en}}</ref> The [[San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad]] reached San Rafael in 1879 and was linked to the national rail network in 1888. The [[United States Navy]] operated a San Pablo Bay [[degaussing]] range from San Rafael through [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/USN-Act/CA.html|title=U.S. Naval Activities World War II by State|publisher=Patrick Clancey|access-date=March 19, 2012}}</ref>