Drawing by Edward Vischer of the Mission San Miguel and the ruins of the Casa Principal, ca.1864

Photograph of a drawing by Edward Vischer of the Mission San Miguel and the ruins of the Casa Principal, ca.1864. Eight men on horseback make their way across the foreground of the image with walkers and a dog among them. In the background, the barn-style main building of the mission and its attached portico are visible. The portico itself terminates in a secondary building and a shack, which appears to be in disrepair. Other livestock are visible as well in the field in front. Text written-in below the image identifies the area and place as well as reading "(the interior yet kept in good condition)", "Sheriff and posse conducting a band of criminals towards San Luis Obispo.", "(The northrooms in 1852 the scent of the murder of the Reed family by outlaws)" and "A scene of the starvation of cattle in the summer of 1862 during the great drought."