Page 3 - ra0601

l
[5] Barn
Built circa 1910, the large barn is con-
structed of wood and served to house
ranch animals as well as equipment in later
years. The gas and oil house, also built
circa 1910, is part of the ranch working
buildings.
[6] Bunkhouse
Built circa 1916 in the California Bungalow
style was the ranch bunkhouse and is now
used as the office. Note the detached per-
gola on the north side covered by wisteria
vines.
[7] Nachito del Valle Adobe
Built circa 1920, this adobe building, con-
structed around a courtyard, exhibits the
Spanish Colonial Revival style with its tile
roof and recessed arched entry. The house
was built for "Nachito" del Valle, the
youngest son of Ygnacio and Isabel del
Valle.
Landscape Features
The California Black Walnut tree is the
only survivor of four "Black Eagle" seedlings
planted by Juventino del Valle circa 1870. It
has been written up in Trees of Santa Bar-
hara as perhaps the largest tree of its kind
in the Santa Barbara-Ventura County re-
gion. The tree's trunk measures approxi-
mately twenty-five feet in circumference.
History of Rancho Camulos
The present 1,800 acre Rancho Camulos,
established by Ygnacio del Valle in 1853,
was carved out of the 48,612 acre Rancho
San Francisco, granted in 1839 to Ygna-
cio's father Antonio del Valle, majordomo
and administrator of Mission San Fernando.
Camulos is located at the western boundary
of the rancho and was originally a Tataviam
Indian village known as Kamulus.
By the time of Ygnacio's death in 1880, the
ranch had grown from a few hundred head
of cattle to a thriving self-contained ranch
containing citrus, vineyards, almonds, grain
and vegetables supporting close to 200
residents. Camulos wines and brandies be-
came well known throughout Southern
California.
Camulos gained national attention as the
"Home of Ramona" following the publica-
tion of the best selling novel Ramona by
Helen Hunt Jackson in 1884. The setting for
the novel matched many of the features at
Camulos including the adobe, the cross on
the hill, the chapel, the bells, the fountain
and courtyard. The arrival of the railroad
through the valley in 1887 brought literally
thousands of tourists to visit the "Home of
Ramona." The del Valle family marketed
their citrus under the Home of Ramona
brand.