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A Brief
History of the Pleasant Valley The Pleasant Valley has a rich
history created by a blending of peoples and cultures over the centuries
beginning with the prehistoric ancestors of the Chumash and encompassing
Spanish and Mexican settlers of the Mission Era and romantic Rancho
Period, and the "Americanos" who settled in the new State
after the Mexican War. The rich agricultural area flourished as the
early ranchers and farmers worked to develop the towns and economy, an
effort assisted by the advent of the railroad. The Museum and Garden are
designed to provide visitors with a glimpse of this heritage by sharing
the legacy of those who brought dreams to life in this Pleasant Valley. The Chumash Era: Based upon artifacts found near the ridges of surrounding hills we know that people, probably fore-bearers of the Chumash Indians, lived in the area while what was to become the Pleasant Valley was still under the waters of the Pacific Ocean, about 9000 years ago. The Chumash themselves resided here for over a thousand years, coexisting peacefully with other tribes, for the most part, until the arrival of European explorers Predominantly a coastal people,
their villages covered 200 miles of California coast line, including the
four north-most Channel Islands, Santa Barbara County and most of
Ventura County where the names of Chumash villages like Awaha'y (Ojai),
S'eqpe(Sespe), Muwu (Point
Mugu), Shimiyi (Simi), and Anyapakh (Anacapa) echo in our language
today. Hunter-gatherers, the Chumash
were master fisherman. They utilized the native plants in numerous ways
including acorns as a staple food. With a rich culture, the Chumash had
their own music, art, astronomy and mythology. Their society centered
around village life and included craft guilds that made the sturdy
tomols (canoes), baskets, beads and weapons, plus they enjoyed games
like kickball and games of chance. Missions & Ranchos: In the autumn of 1542, two
small caravels (ships), the La Victoria and the San Salvador, traveling
under the flag of Spain and the leadership of Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo,
weighed anchor off Point Mugu, marking the first documented interest in
the Pleasant Valley area by Spain and the Chumash's first encounter with
Europeans. Cabrillo was followed by Sebastian Viscano in 1603, but it
wasn't until 166 years later, in 1769, that serious attention was given
to colonizing the region with the arrival of Don Gaspar de Portola who
was warmly welcomed by the indigenous people. It was his exploration
that paved the way for Padre Juan Junipero Serra's twenty-one Missions
stretching along El Camino Real (The King's Highway) and the birth of
the Mission Era. The closest Mission to the Pleasant Valley, Mission San
Buenaventura, was constructed in 1782. Sadly, the Chumash were unable
to ward off the new diseases introduced by the Spanish and the cultural
and religious changes brought by European colonization. These factors
ultimately lead to the decimation of the Chumash population and, for the
survivors, to an end to life as they had known it. During this period, all land
was held to be the property of the Spanish Empire by right of discovery.
Land was "granted" to people by local authority to encourage
colonization, leading to the development of Ranchos, a practice that
flourished under Mexican authority after the Missions were secularized
in 1833 and their lands sold. Before California was deeded to
the United States in 1846, about 600 Mexican land grants were made
including that for Rancho Calleguas here in the Pleasant Valley.
Originally granted to Don Jose Ruiz in 1837, it was to figure
prominently in the Valley's history. Statehood to the Present: Initially after California
gained its Statehood, Rancho life continued on undisturbed in the
Pleasant Valley but little by little substantial areas of land became
U.S. government property and became available to settlers. Rancho
Calleguas was purchased by Juan Camarillo in 1875. Inherited at his
death by his sons, Adolfo and Juan, the ranch went on to become one of
the finest in the region. Springville, the first
community of substance in the Pleasant Valley, sprang up at what is now
the western end of the Camarillo Airport. When the Southern Pacific
Railroad elected to lay track for its new line through Oxnard, it
bypassed the town, however, leading to the birth of the town of
Camarillo where the depot was built. Unlike Springville, Somis, est.
in 1892, continued to thrive, maintaining its rural atmosphere even
today. The 20th Century brought rapid
growth to the Pleasant Valley. The opening of the Camarillo State
Hospital, now home to Cal State University Channel Islands, brought many
jobs, while the Oxnard Air Force Base, now the Camarillo Airport, was a
vital part of Southern California defense until it was deactivated in
1969. Today, true to its beginnings,
the Pleasant Valley continues to feature a blending of people, cultures
and industries. Still a thriving agricultural area, it provides fresh
produce across the country year-round and has become the home of
high-tech industry demonstrating that it is truly a community rooted in
the past and growing toward the future. Visitors can experience history firsthand at the museum and landmarks like the Camarillo Ranch House, St. Mary Magdalen Chapel and the Evangelical Free Church, formerly the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church.
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Conejo Grade, 1920 |
