# Stories of California Missions — Understand the mission era > Historical stories and facts about California's mission era. (iPhone/iPad app by Good Characters, Inc..) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stories-of-california-missions/id413889100 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Good Characters, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/341800662) - Category: Reference, Education - Price: $5.99 - Rating: 5.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 7 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.4 · 33 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2011-01-13 - Data updated: 2026-06-05 - Monetization: paid - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stories-of-california-missions/id413889100/reviews.md ## What is Stories of California Missions? True stories of the missions give a vivid picture of California’s early history. Tales of Indian raids, pirate attacks, courageous deeds, forbidden romance, stolen treasures, and more breathe life into any visit to a mission and any study of the mission era. Sixteen stories are arranged in an order to present the history from the founding of the first mission in 1769 through the Spanish period, the Mexican period, and secularization and decline. As you listen, you will have a sense of what it was like to live in those times. This is no romanticized or politicized version of mission life, but glimpses into the struggles and triumphs of very real people. --------------- Features --------------- - Printed and audio versions of 16 stories that bring history to life. - 70 minutes of listening entertainment and education - Additional pages of fascinating facts about life in the missions and the mission era - Updates of additional material - Teacher’s guide for using stories for teaching history - Descriptions and other info about each of the 21 missions - No social. No ads. - Offline: Enjoy the stories anytime, anywhere - Kids and educational institutions friendly --------------- Uses --------------- > For Travel: As you travel, listen to entertaining stories that make seeing and touring the missions more exciting and meaningful. > For Teaching: Teacher’s guide suggests ways to use the stories and other information to help students understand and feel the lives and adventures of the 19th-century priests, soldiers, natives, and their visitors. Makes history fun! > General: Stories give a comprehensive—broad yet detailed—picture of a fascinating period of history. Enlightening as well as entertaining. --------------- Contents --------------- - The Missions - Beginning a Mission (San Diego, 1769) - Beloved Padre (Santa Clara, 1794-1830) - A Marriage at the Mission (San Antonio de Padua, 1773) - Mission Martyr (San Diego, 1775) - The Indian Girl Who Saved a Mission (Santa Inés) - From Russia with Love (Dolores, 1806) - Good and Bad Pirates (Santa Inés, 1818) - The Town that Destroyed a Mission (Santa Cruz, 1818) - Chumash Revolt (Santa Inés, La Purísima, Santa Barbara, 1824) - The Indian Who Outsmarted Three Armies (San Jose, 1829) - The Battle Nobody Won (Santa Barbara, 1829) - The Island Woman (Santa Barbara, 1835-1853) - Farewell to San Luis Rey (1832) - Murder at the Mission (San Miguel, 1848) - The Last Mexican Governor (1846) ## Key features - 16 printed and audio stories - 70 minutes of educational content - Fascinating facts about mission life - Teacher's guide included - Information on all 21 missions - Offline access - No ads or social features ## Recent user reviews (7 of 7) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stories-of-california-missions/id413889100/reviews.md ### 5/5 — True Tales From California’s Mission History *2019-02-11* Discover California Mission history through true tales. Thrill to Mission San Francisco de Asís’s (also called Mision Dolores) love story that is more romantic than the legend surrounding it. In 1806 Chamberlain Nikola Rezanov, sails from St Petersburg, Russia to the windswept sands of Spanish California. Czar Alexander I has sent him to ease his grief at the loss of his wife, negotiate trade treaties, and inspect the Russian-American Company’s operations. Nikolai falls in love with Concepción Argüello, daughter of the commandant of the Presidio Of San Francisco. Nikolai and Concepción have been betrothed by the Mission padres, but there is a problem. He is Russian Orthodox, she is Roman Catholic. Normally this would make marriage impossible. However, this diplomatic marriage would link Spain and Russia just as Napoleon and the French Army loom over Europe. Will Concepción and Nikolai find happiness, or will tragedy intervene? Buy the app and find out! ### 2/5 — What happened? *2015-05-12* This app was great, and now it doesn’t work. Only the part with the stories is functional. The missions component isn’t functional at all. My students started working on their mission reports and the app dies whenever you click on a mission! This app worked just fine last year, and I am assuming this has to do with not being compatible with the latest iOS. Please fix this ASAP so students can use this app for research! It’s worthless right now! **Developer response:** Sorry about that! It's all fixed (version 4.0) and working great with the latest iOS. ### 1/5 — This is a religiously biased app *2013-03-19* I downloaded this app for my son's fourth grade classmates to listen to in my car on the way to their California Mission field trip. I thought it would be historical in nature. In reality it is an extremely biased attempt at explaining how great the Spanish were for trying to save the souls of the natives who are continually referred to as the "children" of the padres. At one point it says the natives were not used to working hard like they had to do at the missions. Really? You try living off the land and tell me that you are not working hard. I'm very disappointed and wasted $5 which is a lot for an app. Good thing I listened first before exposing my son's classmates. If you are looking for unbiased historical accounts, this isn't it. **Developer response:** I'm sorry. This is not a fair review. ### 3/5 — Limited Information *2012-09-27* The stories add a nice element, but the app would be so much better if they took the time to extract more data about each mission. The only data about each mission - one sentence about it, address, when founded, and a link to the website. Since CA Missions is a 4th grade curriculum area, it would have been helpful to have things like who founded each missions, bibliography data on the founders, crops and livestock information, about the mission in the current day, etc. I realize the link to a website gives this information, but if there was a clean, standardized interface with all the basic information, it would really help 4th graders! I also think some of the stories are a bit much for 4th graders, so I would look at that when putting this together and choosing the stories you are selecting. **Developer response:** Stores are the main focus but we'll add more useful information in the future. Thank you for your feedback. ### 5/5 — Good audio *2011-07-29* It's very helpful. ### 3/5 — Nice straight forward app; but has iPhone footprint only … *2011-03-20* Nice straightforward presentation of information with handy buttons on the bottom to quickly take you to those sections. I like the audio story feature; interesting historical narratives, well written and read. However, if you leave the story and come back, it doesn't remember where you left off, so you have to start all over again when you return. It's designed for the iPhone, so when it's on the iPad, you have the 2x option, but that makes it a little blurry. The app doesn't rotate with changing orientation of the iPad. The information on each of the 21 missions consists of a thumbnail photo, the mission name, a brief 1-2 sentence description, founded date - sometimes with some other information, address, phone number, and website link (handy). Value - with other information presentation apps you may get more for less money, but there has been some effort put into this app, especially with the writing and reading of the historical narratives. If this app rotated with iPad orientation and remembered where you left off for each story, I would give it 4 stars. **Developer response:** It's now a universal iPhone and iPad app (version 4.0). ### 5/5 — Great For Teachers And Parents Loved It!!! *2011-03-06* I'm a teacher and a parent and I found this educational and entertaining. I'm always looking for information to use when we begin studying California Missions and this is such an invaluable supplement to our curriculum. It gives great information for students to use in their reports as well. As a parent I take my family on a few vacations every summer. One fairly inexpensive trip we enjoy taking is to the California Missions. My kids enjoy it more with the stories and information provided with this app. ## Frequently asked questions about Stories of California Missions ### What is Stories of California Missions about? Stories of California Missions provides true stories and historical facts about the mission era in California. It includes printed and audio versions of 16 stories, offering a vivid picture of early California history. ### Does Stories of California Missions have ads? No, Stories of California Missions is ad-free. The description explicitly states 'No ads,' ensuring an uninterrupted learning experience. ### Can I use Stories of California Missions offline? Yes, Stories of California Missions can be enjoyed offline. This feature allows you to access the stories and information anytime, anywhere, without needing an internet connection. ### What kind of content does Stories of California Missions offer? The app features 16 stories with both printed and audio versions, totaling 70 minutes of listening. It also includes additional pages of facts, descriptions of the 21 missions, and a teacher's guide. ### Is Stories of California Missions suitable for educational use? Yes, the app is designed to be kid and educational institution friendly. It includes a teacher's guide with suggestions for using the stories to teach history. ### What is the price of Stories of California Missions? Stories of California Missions is a paid app priced at $5.99. This one-time purchase grants access to all the historical content. ### How often is Stories of California Missions updated? The app was last updated on August 4, 2023, with version 5.0. The description also mentions 'Updates of additional material,' suggesting ongoing content additions. ### What devices support Stories of California Missions? Stories of California Missions is available on iPhone and iPad. It is designed for iOS devices. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 5.0 — 2023-08-04 1. Enhanced listening controls with added forward and rewind buttons. 2. A new article featured in the 'Additions' section. ### 4.0 — 2016-08-18 Updated for iOS 9.3.4. iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad universal app. Kids and educational institutions friendly. No outside links. No social. No Internet connection required. ### 3.0 — 2013-10-12 UI updated for iOS 7. New app icon. Thank you very much for your feedback! ### 2.1 — 2013-01-04 Updated for the 4" iPhone ### 2.0 — 2012-01-19 - Redesigned for iOS 5 - Minor interface enhancements - Added support for iPad ## Apps similar to Stories of California Missions | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Antebellum: America 1820-1855](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/antebellum-america-1820-1855/id605283290) | — | $3.99 | Reference | | [Document in US History](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/document-in-us-history/id364014850) | 1.0 (1) | $2.99 | Reference | | [Stream in Desert Devotional](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stream-in-desert-devotional/id1458111077) | 3.6 (5) | Free | Reference | | [Mark Twain's works and quotes](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mark-twains-works-and-quotes/id1527706471) | — | $1.99 | Reference | ## More apps by Good Characters, Inc. - [Chinese Alphabet](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chinese-alphabet/id6452551617) - [Teacher’s California Missions](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/teachers-california-missions/id6457440630) - [Great Power Chess](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/great-power-chess/id6744778202) All apps by Good Characters, Inc.: https://appshunter.io/developer/341800662 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-05.*