my visit to the Camarillo Ranch

Name: ______

Date: ______www.camarilloranch.orgKeeping History Alive. Keeping History alive.1 Keeping History alive. Don Adolfo Camarillo Welcome to the Historic Camarillo Ranch, originally called Rancho Calleguas a part of the last Mexican Land Grant. Adolfo’s father, Juan Camarillo purchased the original 10,000 acres from the Ruiz family. Adolfo was 16 when his father died and he inherited the responsibility of running the Ranch.

Adolfo and his wife Isabel built this home in 1892 for their family. They had five children; Rosa, Ave, Isabella, Frank and Carmen.

Considered the Founding Father of the City of Camarillo, Don Adolfo was a visionary business- man, a philanthropist and loved his community. In 1920 Adolfo purchased a white horse named Sultan for $500 at the California State Fair and began a new breed of horses called the Camarillo White Horse. He later said it was the best deal he ever made.

On the Ranch, they grew citrus, walnuts, lima beans and managed a very successful dairy. The Ranch was self-sustaining; all the feed for the animals was raised here along with the food for the family and ranchers.

Today we still reap the benefits of some of Adolfo Camarillo’s generosity: • He donated 50 acres of land for Camarillo High School. • He gave right of way at the top of the Conejo Grade for Highway 101 to be built. • He gave right of way to Southern Pacific Railroad to lay railroad tracks on his land. • He served on 38 different boards during his life, including being a member of the Board of Trustees for Pleasant Valley School District.

Adolfo Camarillo was a kind and just man and is often called the Last Spanish Don. He was dubbed Ventura County’s First Citizen by the 1932 Governor of California James Rolf. His story is one that every man, woman and child must know about. It is a story of love of family, faith and community; a story of compassion and generosity of the human spirit. It is the story of a legend.

2 3 Items Used by the Camarillo Family See how much you remember from your tour of the Ranch House. Below are photos of the items used by the Camarillo family in 1892. Write the correct number of the item next to the item’s name as the item. The answers are on the last page of this booklet. ______Ice tongs ______Meat grinder ______Curling iron ______Wash board ______Butter churn ______Horse shoe ______Lamp/candle lighter ______Rug beater ______Boot jack ______Branding iron

1 5 8

2

6 9

3

4 7 10

4 Complete the Camarillo Ranch House Architecture Complete this drawing of the Camarillo Ranch House by adding: 1. Dentile Molding 2. Finials 3. Balcony 4. Decorative rocks and glass 5. Tower bay

2.

2.

4.

3.

1.

5.

5 Then and Now complete the sentences below How things were in Don Adolfo’s family time How things are in my time They fastened their clothes with We fasten our clothes with

They fastened their shoes with We fasten our shoes with

They traveled to market and to see friends by I travel to the store and to see friends in or on

For fun the children For fun I

The distance to their closest neighbor was The distance to my closest neighbor is

They earned a living by My family earns a living by

They lit their house at night by I light my house at night by

In their garden they grew In my yard we grow

In the evening they In the evening, my family and I

Some of the children’s chores might have been My chores are

I think the best thing about being a kid on the The best thing for me about being a kid Camarillo Ranch was probably in my community is

6 The Three Trees Indentify the three trees in front of the house.

A______B______

C______

What year were they planted?______7 What country are they from?______The Mule Barn The mule barn, built in 1905, was originally located east of the Camarillo Ranch House, near Calleguas Creek. It was next to the White Horse stables. The barn was used to house and feed the mules that worked on the 10,000 acre ranch. The tall, central space in the barn was designed to store baled and loose hay. Often wagon loads of lima beans would be stored there before shipment across the country or to Port Hueneme to be shipped to other parts of the world.

In 1999, the barn and stables were moved to their present location. It took two weeks to move the barn because the entire structure was placed on rollers and slowly moved by large trucks.

In the summer of 2009, the barn was open to the public after a year of renovations. The barn is a popular location for weddings and other community celebrations.

8 Color in the Mule & Barn

9 School Days Children living on the Ranch in 1892 dressed differently than boys and girls of today. Girls always wore dresses with long woolen stockings when they went to school. Under their dresses they wore long pantaloons. Many times they wore hats or large bows in their hair. Boys wore blouses instead of shirts and short knickers with long woolen socks.

10 Word Search

N T B P D Y L I M A B E A N S

K A V O C A D O S N T F D U G

R P W C A M A R I L L O R X Q

H Q S G D H O F O U N T A I N

O H C N A R H F T V I D X O A

A W E L T T A C L C U V U S T

M O O R K C A T D O E Z A S L

L X D W A L N U T S D F M A U

J K Y B I W L D V M I A I L S

R F H P M U L E B A R N L H F

S P O R C V I C T O R I A N O

W S E S R O H E T I H W F R C

CAMARILLO RANCHO

WHITE HORSES CITRUS

WALNUTS CROPS

MULEBARN AVOCADOS

VICTORIAN CATTLE

LIMA BEANS SULTAN

ADOLFO FOUNTAIN

TACKROOM LASSO

11 12 13 What did you learn? 1. What is the name of the Ranch you visited? ______

2. Who is it named after?______

3. When was the Ranch built? ______

4. What were the main crops grown on the Ranch? ______

5. What animals raised on the Ranch are seen in parades?______

6. What three things do you like best about the Camarillo House and Ranch? ______

7. Name three kinds of animals that lived on the Camarillo Ranch. ______

8. List some items that the Camarillo family may have used 100 years ago that we still use today. ______

9. List some items that the Camarillo family may have used 100 years ago that we do not use today. ______

14 Answer Sheet Page 4 Identify tools 1. Ice tongs 2. Meat grinder 3. Boot jack 4. Curling Iron 5. Wash board 6. Rug beater 7. Lamp/gas lighter 8. Branding iron 9. Butter churn 10. Horse shoe Page 7 Tree identification: a. Bunya Bunya Pine b. Norfolk Pine c. Moreton Bay Fig All three were planted the year the house was built – 1892 They came from Australia Page 14 What you learned? 1. Camarillo Ranch 2. Don Adolfo Camarillo 3. 1892 4. lima beans, walnuts, citrus, avocados, oats, hay 5. Camarillo White Horses 6. No right answer whatever you liked best. 7. Horses, mules, cattle, (cows, steers, bulls, heifers), White Horses

15 Special Thanks to the Meadowlark Service League & School Tour Docents.

201 Camarillo Ranch Road • Camarillo, California 93012 (805) 389-8182 • FAX (805) 389-8183 • camarilloranch.org