Page 7 - hssc1929parks

140 Historical Society of Southern California

sycamore or two. The adobe itself
cactus and a silver-limbed
is sheltered by a magnificent doubtless planted by
eucalyptus,
Don Saturnino himself.
in
It is an L-style adobe, a story-and-a-half height, with
a low-ceiled attic under the gabled roof, to which no stair-
way can now be found. Corredores extend along both front
and patio elevations, of which the latter faces toward the
new boulevard and the exquisite scene to the south.
Exceptionally attractive from every standpoint, still in
this
for someone
good condition, adobe offers an opportunity
of sentiment and good taste to develop out of it a country
home of unusual charm. Some effort at restoration has been
was
made, but fortunately given up before it had proceeded
far, since it consisted of rounding off wall angles that origi-
nally were pleasing because of their neat precision, and
patching wall surfaces of fine texture with coarse cement,
smeared on.
There are many details of interest in the building, among
them being a window equipped with a grille of small wooden
shutters
bars, with the original home-made wooden-pegged
still in place. In one room there is an amusing hole-in-the-
wall fireplace. It has no mantel, and cannot be of any great
usefulness.
The abundant river or cobble stones of this country were
not used to any great extent by the early California builders,
but in this house they have been employed in foundations
and lend attractive-
and to form the floors of the corredores,
ness and finish to the building.
An accurate history of this casa de Saturnino Carrión
has been given by his daughter, Louisa Carrión.
"In 1843 Saturnino Carrión received as a gift from his
uncle and aunt, Sr. Ygnácio Palomares and Concepción López
de Palomares,1 portion of Rancho San José de Arriba con-
a
taining 380 acres, located two miles southeast of San Dimas on
Mountain Meadows Road."2
According to the census of 1850, Saturnino was a little
boy 11 years old at that time, living with his parents, Casiano
1. Concepción López was a sister of Francisco "Chico" López, and Saturnino's
mother, Josefa López de Carrión.
2. San Dimas Press Mid-winter number, 1929. Told by Louisa Carrión to Mrs.
Harry E. Walker.