Religious Figure. Father Edmund La Pointe, a French-Canadian Roman Catholic priest, walked the back country of San Diego County for twenty-nine years to minister to all of the local Native Americans. After coming to the area for his health in 1903, he had missions on the reservations of Campo, mesa Grande, Los Conejos, El Capitan, Manzanita, Inaja, Rincon, Los Coyotes and Pala. Besides Native Americans, he served in the churches of white settlers in isolated places. In 1924 he oversaw the construction of the present Chapel at Santa Ysabel, which he hoped would be the mother mission to a chain of Inland Missions. His deeds of kindness are legendary. Following his wishes and with the demands of San Diego County Indians, he was buried at the mission upon his death. While attending mass at the mission, the congregation would scoop up a handful of dirt from the top of the grave, believing the dirt would give them luck and protection. From this action, the grave vault was exposed, forcing a concrete slab to be placed over the site. There is an historical plaque at the foot of the grave, which was erected in the 1960s.
Religious Figure. Father Edmund La Pointe, a French-Canadian Roman Catholic priest, walked the back country of San Diego County for twenty-nine years to minister to all of the local Native Americans. After coming to the area for his health in 1903, he had missions on the reservations of Campo, mesa Grande, Los Conejos, El Capitan, Manzanita, Inaja, Rincon, Los Coyotes and Pala. Besides Native Americans, he served in the churches of white settlers in isolated places. In 1924 he oversaw the construction of the present Chapel at Santa Ysabel, which he hoped would be the mother mission to a chain of Inland Missions. His deeds of kindness are legendary. Following his wishes and with the demands of San Diego County Indians, he was buried at the mission upon his death. While attending mass at the mission, the congregation would scoop up a handful of dirt from the top of the grave, believing the dirt would give them luck and protection. From this action, the grave vault was exposed, forcing a concrete slab to be placed over the site. There is an historical plaque at the foot of the grave, which was erected in the 1960s.
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