ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : Mission’s 150-Year-Old Sale
In 1845, $710 worth of gold and animal hides was enough to buy Mission San Juan Capistrano.
John Forster, an Englishman, and his partner, James McKinley, made such a payment to the Mexican government for the historic building.
Today, a street near the mission bears Forster’s name.
* Source: “The Golden Promise, An Illustrated History of Orange County,” by Pamela Hallan-Gibson
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