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Petroleum Company (Worden 1996). After unsuccessful attempts at finding oil, the

petroleum company sold the land to the Newhall Family in 1875. To this day, much of this

land is still managed by the Newhall Land and Farming Company.

After the 1870s, a series of small agricultural towns were established further

downstream, in Ventura County. By 1875 the town of Santa Paula was officially recorded

and in 1887 Piru, Fillmore, Bardsdale followed suit (Murphy 1979:22-23). The Southern

Pacific Railroad connected Northern California with San Buenaventura (later Ventura) via

Fillmore, Santa Paula and Saugus/Newhall in 1887 (Murphy 1979:25). Throughout the

county of Ventura west to Newhall, large ranches, orchards, and farms small and large, have

developed alongside that of their respective communities. In Santa Paula, for example, is the

Limoneira Ranch; started by two men in 1893, today the Limoneira Company is a co-partner

of the Sunkist Growers Corporation and one the one of the largest citrus producers in the

country (McBane 1995:70; Teague 1944).

The ideal climate and fertile grounds of the Santa Clara River Valley were (and still

are) a natural draws for ranchers, orchardists, and farmers. Beyond the large Newhall and

Limoneira Ranches, many other small farm, orchard, and ranching families set down roots

th
throughout the valley at the turn of the 19 century. Citrus, walnut, and row crops all

flourished in the valley and provided steady year round employment opportunities; smaller

farms and ranches, and larger companies, such as the Limoneira Company, provided

dormitories and homes for both single workers and workers with families (McBane 1995:73).

Single white and Japanese men made up the predominance of the workforce in the Santa

Clara River Valley until the onset of World War I. At that time white men turned to urban

war-related industries, leaving a large number of agricultural jobs available (McBane

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