Editing San Rafael, California (section)

===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.