In the early 1900s, a group of women's clubs, among others, decided to mark the trail and chose as its symbol a mission bell mounted on a shepherd's crook. This bell is a replica from the 1960s and marks the trail's approximate path through our city reminding us of early California history.”

The mission bells are iconic roadside markers found along California's historic El Camino Real (The King's Highway), which originally connected the 21 Spanish missions from San Diego to Sonoma. The bells were not part of the original 18th-century road but were introduced in 1906 as a civic project by the El Camino Real Association to mark the route and boost early automotive tourism. Each bell hangs from an 11-foot cast-iron post designed to look like a shepherd's crook, symbolizing the religious nature of the missions. Over the years, hundreds of these bells have been installed along Highway 101 and State Route 82. In recent years, they have become a subject of historical debate; while many see them as charming landmarks of California's heritage, some Indigenous groups view them as painful reminders of the colonial mission system's impact on Native populations. Consequently, as of 2026, some bells have been removed or replaced with more inclusive historical signage that reflects the diverse perspectives of California's history.