The California missions are unique reminders of a largely ignored part of the history of the United States. Nowhere else in the United States can one view such complete remnants of an earlier rule. "Lands Never Trodden" brings to the general public the fullest examination to date of the institutions of the Franciscan missions in California and of the stories hidden in these monuments. Franciscan priests, Spanish officials, and Native Americans all have their stories faithfully reported in this volume. Each mission carries with it tales of unremitting labor, sacrifice, love, intrigue, passion, violence, and death. This volume treats the familiar stories of the missionaries as well as the previously untold stories of the Native Americans with equal candor. With more than sixty photographs, and based on exhaustive research and historical documents, "Lands Never Trodden" is an entertaining, educational, and readable presentation of the twenty-one California missions.