|
The second day we headed to Camarillo Ranch in
Ventura County. The ranch has a long history dating back to the mid 19th
century. Juan and Martina Camarillo were married in 1840 and moved to
Ventura, California in 1854, becoming the fourth European family in the
town. In 1876, Juan Camarillo bought the 10,000-acre (40 km2)
Rancho
Calleguas in eastern Ventura County from Jose Pedro Ruiz for $3,000 in
gold. Rancho Calleguas remained in the Camarillo family until the 1960s,
eventually becoming the City of Camarillo—named for the family. Juan
Camarillo died in 1880, and Martina Camarillo in 1898. In 1891, Martina had
deeded the Rancho to her sons, Adolfo and Juan Jr.
Eventually, Adolfo Z. Camarillo (1864-1958)
came to control the rancho and turned it into "the largest bean ranch
in the world." Camarillo employed 700 workers on his ranch, and his
production was so great that the Los Angeles Times reported in 1909
that, "through the enormous output of his ranch, [Camarillo] is, in a
measure, able to set the price which the public must pay for beans."
Adolfo Camarillo became one of the wealthiest landowners in the county, and
in 1911 he was elected chairman of the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.
He also served as a member of the State Board of Agriculture.
Shortly after receiving title to the Rancho
from his mother in 1891, Adolfo Camarillo hired architects Herman Anlauf and
Franklin Ward to build a 6,000-square-foot Queen-Anne style Victorian house.
The house has two turrets, a large veranda and sprawling lawns. Adolfo also
planted many varieties of trees, including eucalyptus trees, around the
house. The Camarillo Ranch House, as it is now known, became the center of
the sprawling Rancho Calleguas for the next 70 years. From the ranch house,
Adolfo oversaw the Rancho's production of lima beans, walnuts, and citrus.
The house also became known for the barbecues, rodeos and fiestas held by
Adolfo. Adolfo lived in the three-story Victorian house until shortly before
his death from pneumonia in December 1958
After his death, the stately home fell into
disrepair, but in 1998, the City of Camarillo established the Camarillo
Ranch Foundation, incorporated, as a nonprofit public benefit corporation.
The City Council appointed a 15-member Board
of Directors to operate the Foundation. In addition to the fifteen
directors, the Foundation also includes two ex-officio members from the
Camarillo City Council. The newly formed Board met on May 5, 1999, and has
met monthly ever since. The current president of the foundation is Chuck
Andrews, whom we met soon after completing our tour of the home.
|
