The Anza colonizing expedition traveled past the future site of Soledad Mission (1791) on way to Monterey. For almost a century Soledad Mission had been a bleak and mournful ruin. When rubble was cleared away for restoration in 1954, all that could be utilized of the original structure was the front corner of the chapel. Today it is located on a side road 1 mile west of highway US Highway 101, 3 miles south of town of Soledad.