LOCAL HISTORY
The land upon which the historic Camarillo Ranch now sits was once part of the original Rancho Calleguas; one of the last of the Mexican land grants, the Rancho was almost 10,000 acres in size and was given to Jose Pedro Ruiz by Governor Alvarado in 1847.
Juan Camarillo (1812-1880) obtained the Rancho from the Ruiz Family in 1875. Juan had been a member of the Hijar-Padres Expedition to California in 1834. In 1857, Juan settled in what is now Ventura.
Following Juan's death in 1880, his eldest son Adolfo took over operations at the Ranch. Adolfo Camarillo (1864-1958) was 16
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at the time, and during the next 68 years he operated the Camarillo Ranch, progressing from a mostly cattle operation to crops.
The photo left is of Don Adolfo Camarillo.
Adolfo was a leading innovator, bringing in lima beans, as well as barley, corn, alfalfa, walnuts, and citrus to the area. In 1888, Adolfo married Isabella Menchaca (1861-1936). They moved into an adobe home on the Ranch, which was later destroyed by fire. Adolfo and Isabel raised seven children together.
In 1890, with the help of two Chumash Indians, Adolfo planted two rows of eucalyptus trees. These trees arched across Highway 101 in Camarillo for many |
years. Some of those trees still line the north side of the Ventura Freeway. Over the years, Adolfo employed a number of Chumash Indians on the Ranch in a variety of capacities.
The Camarillo House was built in 1892 by Adolfo and a crew, utilizing the designs of prominent Ventura County Architects Herman Anlauf and Franklin Ward. This three-story, 14-room home was built in the Victorian Queen Anne style. Adolfo planted a number of trees near the house, some of which on the front lawn are now among the finest in California for their species.
| The photo to the right is that of the Camarillo Ranch in 1895.
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