I-605 - 011668 and Sarah Sitkin

I-605 or "The San Gabriel River Freeway" closely parallels the San Gabriel River for most of its alignment. The San Gabriel River was named after the Archangel Gabriel by the Spanish in 1771.

Gabriel serves as a messenger between God and mankind. Gabriel announces to Mary that she would conceive and bear a son through a virgin birth and become the mother of Jesus Christ. Gabriel also announces the end of the world by blowing a horn that raises the dead.

According to Spanish legend, in 1771 the founding expedition was confronted by a large group of native Tongva peoples whose intention was to drive the strangers away. One of the priests laid a painting of "Our Lady of Sorrows" on the ground for all to see, whereupon the natives, designated by the settlers as the Gabrieleños, immediately made peace with the missionaries, because they were so moved by the painting's beauty. Today the 300-year-old work hangs in front of and slightly to the left of the old high altar. The mission was built and run using slave labor from nearby Tongva villages, such as Yaanga, and was built on the site of the village of Toviscanga.

In 1776, the San Gabriel Mission flooded and relocated 5 miles north to it’s current location. The San Gabriel Mission is regarded as one of the most destructive of all mission complexes, with more than 25,000 baptisms conducted and approximately 6,000 victims buried on site.