Rancho Camulos, Spanish Colonial ranch in Santa Clara River Valley, California
Rancho Camulos is a Spanish Colonial ranch spanning 1,600 acres (650 hectares) in the Santa Clara River Valley. The property contains a twenty-room adobe residence, a chapel, a brick winery, barns, and quarters for farmworkers arranged around the main buildings.
The land began as the Tataviam village of Kamulus before becoming part of Mission San Fernando in 1804. The Del Valle family acquired it in 1853 and developed it into a substantial agricultural estate during the following decades.
The property inspired Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel Ramona, which brought attention to California's Spanish colonial period and Native American communities. Visitors can see how this literary connection shaped the way people remember and understand this part of California's past.
The property welcomes visitors through guided tours that cover the main adobe house and various agricultural buildings on the grounds. Plan to spend several hours walking through the site to see all the structures and surrounding landscape.
The ranch continues operating commercial citrus groves while maintaining its original 19th-century structures. This working farm approach keeps the property connected to its agricultural roots rather than operating purely as a museum.
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