Rancho Camulos
Rancho Camulos | |
California Historical Landmark No. 553 | |
Mission Revival Spanish Colonial Revival | |
NRHP reference No. | 96001137 |
---|---|
CHISL No. | 553 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | November 1, 1996[2] |
Designated NHL | February 16, 2000[3] |
Designated CHISL | 1956[1] |
Rancho Camulos, now known as Rancho Camulos Museum, is a
The 1,800-acre (7 km2) working ranch is a prime example of an early California rancho in its original rural setting. It was the source of the first commercially grown oranges in Ventura County.[5] It is one of the few remaining citrus growers in Southern California.
Rancho Camulos is designated a National Historic Landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has also been designated as a California Historical Landmark. Many of the buildings and grounds are open to the public as a museum of this period in California history.
History
In 1769, the Spanish
The indigenous
After Antonio's death in 1841, his son Ygnacio inherited
The younger Del Valle and his family did not live on the ranch initially, instead settling in a house on what is now
In the 1860s, a
In 1908, the Del Valle Company was incorporated by Ygnacio's children, but by 1924, they had sold the property to August Rübel, a native of Zürich, Switzerland. Upon its sale, the Los Angeles Times lamented that:
An era in the history of California closed yesterday. The Del Valles of Camulos bade farewell to the homestead where they have lived in successive generations since Antonio del Valle. It was the passing of the old regime. They are said to be the last of the old Spanish families who held in unbroken succession to the ancestral acres. –Los Angeles Times, August 11, 1924[8]
Rübel continued operating the ranch in the same manner as the Del Valles, employing many of same workers. He had served in the
The Rübel family restored commercial citrus production and set about repairing the earthquake damage. They successfully lobbied to have Camulos listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. In 2000, it was further designated a National Historic Landmark.
The driveway/parking lot and grounds immediate to the highway were used as a filming location for the 1970 science-fiction television movie The Love War.
Agricultural development
Del Valle acquired his first Valencia orange seedlings in 1857 from his friend William Wolfskill. The fruit from these trees was the first to be commercially grown in what is now Ventura County, although this was relatively small scale because the crops had to be taken by wagon to Los Angeles. A Southern Pacific line opened in 1876 seventeen miles (27 km) to the east in Saugus, providing a more convenient form of transport.[8]
However, the primary agricultural product from Rancho Camulos was wine. Ninety acres (360,000 m²) of vineyards were planted in the 1860s and Camulos wines and brandies were known throughout Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.[8] In 1870, records indicate Camulos was largest of the four vintners in the San Buenaventura Township of Santa Barbara County, with 45 tons (40,900 kg) of grapes grown, making 6,000 US gallons (23,000 L) of wine and 800 US gallons (3,000 L) of brandy.[8] In addition to oranges and grapes, the ranch produced almonds, walnuts, apricots, wheat, corn and barley. Flower petals from roses grown at Camulos were shipped to Europe to make perfume.[12]
Over the years, the vineyards were replaced by other fruits. Today, about 600 acres (2.4 km2) are under cultivation, most of it oranges, but lemons, grapefruit, and avocados are grown too. This makes Camulos a rare instance of a surviving citrus operation. During the years 1920–45, the citrus industry underwent a period of great growth. In contrast to the natural desert-like conditions of the area, photographs of "citrus belts" were publicized that helped establish the image of Southern California for the nation as an idyllic farmland.[13] After World War II, urban and suburban development displaced much of the Southern California citrus production,[14] with the notable exception of the Santa Clara River Valley.[15]
Ramona
Ramona, published in 1884, was based in part on experiences that
With all of the interest generated by the book, a number of communities declared that they were the setting for the novel in order to cash in on the boom, most notably
By 1886, many readers and observers already considered Camulos to be the setting of the novel. Edward Roberts published an article entitled, "Ramona's Home: A Visit to the Camulos Ranch, and to the Scenes Described by 'H.H.'" in the May 13, 1886 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle. Significantly, he was one of the first to publish an account that blended fact and fiction. The inclusion of his article as an appendix to later versions of the novel only served to cement that association.[16]
The first book solely devoted to Ramona and the ranch was published in 1888 by
Lummis's goal was to discourage the novel's association with other properties. For the same purpose, Adam Clark Vroman's Ramona Illustrated: The Genesis of the Story of Ramona compared photographs of the rancho's buildings and environs with text from the novel, as well as photographs from competing locations. By 1909, George Wharton James could confidently declare that Camulos was the "avowed and accepted home of the heroine".[23]
Despite the lack of easy access to the ranch and any lodging in the area, tourists flocked to this site.
The name Camulos became so tied to the novel that many people began to use it instead of the original "Moreno Ranch" when referring to the novel. An 1897 play based on the book was called, "Ramona, or the Bells of Camulos". In Virginia Calhoun's 1905 stage adaptation, characters in the play called the ranch Camulos as well.[27]
Although tourism brought much difficulty to the Del Valles, they capitalized upon their newfound fame, branding their wine and oranges as the "Home of Ramona Brand".[7] Their label used the same view of the veranda that had been popularized in postcards. One Tataviam servant girl was said to make quite a bit of money by pretending to be the "real Ramona" and charging tourists for a photograph.[29]
Tourists continued to arrive even after the SP relocated its main line in 1903 through the Santa Susana Pass, bypassing Camulos. Two daily trains made stops at Camulos until the service was discontinued in the 1940s, with tourism by automobile having become the preferred method of travel. After the Rübels took ownership in 1924, they continued to welcome visitors in small numbers, converting the second floor of the winery into a small museum with artifacts from the Del Valle family. The rancho hosts an annual "Ramona Days" festival in October.
Grounds
Fifteen buildings are open to the public as part of the Rancho Camulos Museum, all of which were built before 1930 and are still in their original locations. They were built mostly in
The main adobe, also called the Ygnacio del Valle adobe, is a 10,000-square foot (929 m²), twenty-room, U-shaped structure. When initially constructed in 1853, it was an L-shaped four-room house connected with an external corredor (as opposed to an interior
The house expanded in several phases. In 1861, before the Del Valle family moved here permanently, they added three additional rooms as well as a free-standing cocina (kitchen). This was to keep fire away from the main building, as well as to keep it cooler. A basement was dug out as the foundation of the new rooms. In the 1870s, another wing was added perpendicular to the 1861 addition. Finally, some time after 1895, one more room was added to the new wing, as well as a breezeway to the kitchen, completing the current shape. Remodeling completed after this time was to the interior only.[13]
The basement of the house initially served as the
To the west of the main house is a large California Black Walnut (Juglans californica) tree that was most likely planted by Juventino del Valle in the 1860s. It measures 25 feet (7.6 m) in circumference and its branches spread out almost half an acre (2,000 m²). It is believed to be the largest Black Walnut tree in the area.[5]
The wooden chapel was constructed around 1867, replacing a makeshift chapel that had been set up in 1861. After the secularization of the missions, this chapel became known as the "lost mission",[7] the only place of worship between Mission San Fernando and Mission San Buenaventura. Directly to the northwest of the chapel is a bell structure. It originally contained three bells on a freestanding frame, which were used to call worshipers to Mass. The largest and a second, slightly smaller bell were cast at Kodiak, Alaska. The smaller one had previously been used at Mission San Fernando and may have been relocated to Camulos by Antonio del Valle when he was administrator at San Fernando. The third, and smallest bell, is missing.[13]
The exact dates of construction of the barn, gas station, and bunkhouse are unknown, but the American Craftsman style of architecture indicates it was between 1910 and 1916, when this was popular.[13] The barn is located to the northwest of the living quarters, in the main work area. The gas station and bunkhouse are not depicted on the map.
The small adobe, next to the highway, was built by Nachito del Valle. This
The schoolhouse, constructed in 1930, was the last structure to be built on the property. It was built by Rübel for his and his bookkeeper's families and designed to match the main adobe.[13]
Few buildings are left on the north side of the highway. The most notable are the wooden Southern Pacific
Historic designations
- United States National Historic Landmark – added February 16, 2000[3]
- United States National Register of Historic Places – reference number 96001137, added November 1, 1996[2]
- California Historical Landmark – number 553[1]
See also
- List of Registered Historic Places in Ventura County, California
- Ventura County Historic Landmarks & Points of Interest
- List of ranchos of California
Notes
- Bardsdale, Camulos, Fillmore, Matilija, Montalvo, Newbury Park, New Jerusalem, Piru City, Punta Gorda, Simi, Springville, and Timberville. Larger Post Offices in Ventura, Hueneme, Santa Paula, Saticoy, and Nordoff provided money order service (Ventura also handled International exchange).[31]
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Rancho Camulos". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved October 12, 2015.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
- ^ a b c d "Rancho Camulos". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
- ^ "Camulos". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "The Story of Rancho Camulos". Rancho Camulos Museum. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ Bolton, Herbert E. (1927). Fray Juan Crespi: Missionary Explorer on the Pacific Coast, 1769–1774. HathiTrust Digital Library. p. 155. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Rasmussen, Cecilia (November 11, 2001). "Del Valle Family Played a Starring Role in Early California". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Triem, Judith P.; Stone, Mitch. "Rancho Camulos: National Register of Historic Places Nomination" (significance). San Buenaventura Research Associates. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
- ^ Pollack, Alan (July–August 2008). "The Heritage Junction Dispatch" (PDF). Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
- ^ Triem, Judy; Stone, Mitch; Kimbro, Edna E. & Badamo, Kira (June 26, 1996). National Historic Landmark Nomination: Rancho Camulos / Camulos Ranch, Del Valle Ranch, Camulos. National Park Service. and Accompanying 8 photos, from c.1890 and 1987 (825 KB)
- ^ Saillant, Catherine (September 16, 2006). "Historic Ventura County Adobe to Undergo Restoration". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
- ISBN 978-1439651827.
- ^ a b c d e f g Triem, Judith P.; Stone, Mitch. "Rancho Camulos: National Register of Historic Places Nomination" (narrative description). San Buenaventura Research Associates. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
- ISBN 0252063880.
citrus production southern california world war ii.
- JSTOR 1567230.
- ^ a b DeLyser, p. 70
- ^ a b c "The Home of Ramona". Rancho Camulos Museum. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ a b "Home of Ramona: Cover". Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
- ^ Jackson, Helen Hunt (1884). Ramona.
- ^ DeLyser, p. 89
- ^ Worden, Leon (October 30, 1998). "Myth of Ramona revived in Ventura". The Signal. Retrieved April 13, 2007.
- ^ Lummis (1888), as quoted in DeLyser, p. 74
- ISBN 978-1404705821.
- ^ Orozco, Lance (May 3, 2022). "It was famous! It's a national landmark! Yet, most don't know this Ventura County estate exists". KCLU. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ DeLyser, p. 77
- ^ DeLyser, p. 79
- ^ DeLyser, p. 80
- ^ Davis, Carlyle Channing; Alderson, William A. (1914). "Henry Sandham: The Artist of Ramona". The True Story of "Ramona". Dodge Publishing Co. pp. 234–55. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ DeLyser, p. 82
- ^ Boyd-Barrett, Claudia (June 22, 2017). "Historic Rancho Camulos near Piru opens research library". Ventura County Star. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
- ^ Storke, Mrs. Yda Addis (1891). A Memorial and Biographical History of the Counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo And Ventura, California. Chicago: Lewis. p. 194.
Sources
- DeLyser, Dydia (2005). "Rancho Camulos: Symbolic Heart of the Ramona Myth". Ramona Memories: Tourism and the Shaping of Southern California. University of Minnesota Press. pp. 65–84. ISBN 0816645728.
rancho camulos.
External links
- Rancho Camulos Museum web site
- Rancho Camulos, Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society
- NRHP Registration form, San Buenaventura Research Associates