Los Alamos Ranch House
Encyclopedia
The Los Alamos Ranch House is a historic adobe house from the mid-19th century, located near Los Alamos
in northern Santa Barbara County
, California
. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1970.
ranchhouse in its rural setting, Rancho Los Alamos
, was granted in 1839 to José Antonio de la Guerra, the son of the Commandant José de la Guerra y Noriega of the Presidio of Santa Barbara
. Los Alamos was a favorite overnight stopping place for wayfarers upon the El Camino Real
between Santa Barbara
and Monterey
."
The Los Alamos Ranch House is currently a private property, west of the town of Los Alamos on California State Route 135
.
Commandant José de la Guerra y Noriega
owned other large rancho
s in northern and southern Alta California
, and the Casa de la Guerra
in the pueblo of Santa Barbara.
Los Alamos, California
Los Alamos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Although located in the Los Alamos Valley, the town of Los Alamos is usually considered to be a part of the Santa Ynez Valley community...
in northern Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1970.
History
The Historic Landmark 'statement of significance' described the Los Alamos Ranch House as: "Probably the finest surviving example of the Mexican period traditional one story adobeAdobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
ranchhouse in its rural setting, Rancho Los Alamos
Rancho Los Alamos
Rancho Los Alamos was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Antonio de la Guerra, a son of José de la Guerra y Noriega...
, was granted in 1839 to José Antonio de la Guerra, the son of the Commandant José de la Guerra y Noriega of the Presidio of Santa Barbara
Presidio of Santa Barbara
The El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara, also known as the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara, was a military installation in Santa Barbara, California. It was built by Spain in 1782, with the mission of defending the Second Military District in California...
. Los Alamos was a favorite overnight stopping place for wayfarers upon the El Camino Real
El Camino Real (California)
El Camino Real and sometimes associated with Calle Real usually refers to the 600-mile California Mission Trail, connecting the former Alta California's 21 missions , 4 presidios, and several pueblos, stretching from Mission San Diego de Alcalá in San Diego...
between Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
and Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...
."
The Los Alamos Ranch House is currently a private property, west of the town of Los Alamos on California State Route 135
California State Route 135
State Route 135 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, entirely within Santa Barbara County, and is basically a bypass of U.S. Route 101 in northern Santa Barbara County between the town of Los Alamos and the city of Santa Maria....
.
Family
The CalifornioCalifornio
Californio is a term used to identify a Spanish-speaking Catholic people, regardless of race, born in California before 1848...
Commandant José de la Guerra y Noriega
José de la Guerra y Noriega
José Antonio de la Guerra y Noriega was a soldier and early settler of California.-Biography:José de la Guerra was born 1779 at Novales, Cantabria, Spain. As a boy he wished to be a friar...
owned other large rancho
Ranchos of California
The Spanish, and later the Méxican government encouraged settlement of territory now known as California by the establishment of large land grants called ranchos, from which the English ranch is derived. Devoted to raising cattle and sheep, the owners of the ranchos attempted to pattern themselves...
s in northern and southern Alta California
Alta California
Alta California was a province and territory in the Viceroyalty of New Spain and later a territory and department in independent Mexico. The territory was created in 1769 out of the northern part of the former province of Las Californias, and consisted of the modern American states of California,...
, and the Casa de la Guerra
Casa de la Guerra
The Casa de la Guerra was the residence of the fifth commandant of the Presidio de Santa Barbara, José de la Guerra y Noriega from 1828 until his death in 1858. Descendants of José lived in the home until 1943. The site is currently owned and operated by the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic...
in the pueblo of Santa Barbara.
See also
- Rancho La Laguna (Gutierrez)Rancho La Laguna (Gutierrez)Rancho La Laguna was a Mexican land grant in present day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pio Pico to Octaviano Gutierrez. The name means "the Lake". The grant extended along the Santa Ynez Valley east of present day Los Alamos....
- adjacent on the east - List of Ranchos of California
- Pablo de la GuerraPablo de la GuerraPablo de la Guerra , from the de la Guerra family of Santa Barbara, California, was the Acting Lieutenant Governor of California, 1861-1862...
- Antonio Maria de la GuerraAntonio Maria de la GuerraAntonio Maria de la Guerra, , Mayor of Santa Barbara, California, several times a member of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors, California State Senator and Captain of California Volunteers in the American Civil War....