Los Alamos Ranch House
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The Los Alamos Ranch House is a historic adobe house near Los Alamos in northern
Santa Barbara County Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria. Santa Barba ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The house, the centerpiece of
Rancho Los Alamos Rancho Los Álamos was a Ranchos of California, Mexican land grant in present-day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado, Juan Alvarado to José Antonio de la Guerra, a son of José de la Guerra y Nor ...
, was built about 1840, and is one of the best-preserved examples of domestic architecture from California's Mexican period. The building was designated a
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
in 1970.


Description

The Los Alamos Ranch House is located on the south side of
California State Route 135 State Route 135 (SR 135) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It acts as a western bypass of U.S. Route 101 in northern Santa Barbara County that runs through the community of Los Alamos and the center of the city of Santa Maria. ...
, about west of the town of Los Alamos. It is a single-story structure, built out of locally made adobe bricks. It is in a relatively unspoiled rural setting that has changed fairly little since the house was built about 1840. The house has thick walls, with mostly original window and door openings, and is covered by a gabled roof. Its interior features include a number of American adaptations, including wood plank flooring and ceilings, and paneled wooden doors.


History

Rancho Los Alamos Rancho Los Álamos was a Ranchos of California, Mexican land grant in present-day Santa Barbara County, California given in 1839 by Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado, Juan Alvarado to José Antonio de la Guerra, a son of José de la Guerra y Nor ...
originated as a Mexican land grant given in 1839 to José Antonio de la Guerra, the son of the Commandant
José de la Guerra y Noriega José Antonio de la Guerra y Noriega (March 6, 1779 – February 18, 1858) was a Californio military officer, ranchero, and founder of the prominent Guerra family of California. He served as the Commandant of the Presidio of Santa Barbara and the ...
of the
Presidio of Santa Barbara A presidio ( en, jail, fortification) was a fortified base established by the Spanish Empire around between 16th century, 16th and 18th century, 18th centuries in areas in condition of their control or influence. The presidios of Captaincy Genera ...
. The grant of nearly was one of a large number of such grants made by the Mexican government in the 1830s. The house was built by Chumash natives who lived on the rancho, trading their labor for goods and food. It was a common stopping point on what was then the main road between Santa Barbara and
Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under both ...
, now Route 135. De la Guerra was able reconfirm his ownership of the land grant after California became a state, but it failed due to a decline in the price of beef, extended drought, and flooding. In 1876, Thomas Bell, John S. Bell, and James Shaw, purchased of land, part from Rancho Los Alamos and part from the adjacent Rancho La Laguna, from which they then set aside the town site of Los Alamos. The area prospered agriculturally, suffering a decline in the 1930s when the railroad ended service to Los Alamos. The ranch house now stands on a much reduced property, and is private property.


See also

*
List of Ranchos of California These California land grants were made by Spanish (1784–1821) and Mexican (1822–1846) authorities of Las Californias and Alta California to private individuals before California became part of the United States of America.Shumway, Burgess M ...
*
Pablo de la Guerra Pablo de la Guerra (29 November 1819 – 5 February 1874) was a Californio politician, judge, and signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He served as acting Lieutenant Governor of California and as a member of the California Senate ...
*
Antonio Maria de la Guerra Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...
*
List of National Historic Landmarks in California This is a complete List of National Historic Landmarks in California. The United States National Historic Landmark (NHL) program is operated under the auspices of the National Park Service, and recognizes structures, districts, objects, and simila ...


References


External links


Los Alamos Ranch House/Rancho Los Alamos (de la Guerra)
{{National Register of Historic Places Adobe buildings and structures in California Houses in Santa Barbara County, California Houses completed in 1840 National Historic Landmarks in California National Register of Historic Places in Santa Barbara County, California 1840 in Alta California