Mission San Jose was founded on June 11, 1797, by Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen on a site that was part of a natural highway by way of the Livermore Valley to the San Joaquin Valley. It is the fourteenth of the 21 Spanish Missions in Alta, California. Although Mission San Jose was founded nearly 225 years ago, we cannot forget that our story stretches back further into time. Before this was Mission San Jose, it was the Ohlone Village of Oroysom.