The countryside setting of the 1700's described by Gaspar Jose Solis, a Franciscan inspector visiting Mission San Jose, was very much like today's, despite the growth of a city around the missions.  There are live oak, pecan, poplar, huisache, tamarack, and mesquite trees.  Deer and rabbits can still be seen, and maybe an occasional coyote, but the wolves and mountain lions are gone.  However, javelina and armadillo along with turkeys, doves, and quail still inhabit the brush.

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