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Famous Ranches and Stations

Rancho Camulos: The Del Valle Family's Cattle, Citrus and Wine Rancho

Carved from a Mexican land grant in 1853, Camulos ran cattle first, then grapes, brandy and the first commercial oranges in what is now Ventura County.

What is Rancho Camulos?

Rancho Camulos is a historic adobe rancho in the Santa Clara River valley near Piru, in Ventura County, California. It began as a cattle ranch and became one of the more varied agricultural estates of early Southern California, with vineyards, a winery, orchards and a working community of close to 200 people at its height.

According to the museum's own account of the rancho, Ygnacio del Valle established the present 1,800-acre Camulos Ranch in 1853. He carved it out of the much larger Rancho San Francisco, a 48,612-acre Mexican land grant. The place name goes back further: Camulos was originally a Tataviam village called Kamulus, and Mission San Fernando was already using the area by 1804.

Who were the del Valle family?

The founding story runs through two generations. Antonio del Valle, a military officer from Compostela, Mexico, arrived in California in 1819 and later served as majordomo and administrator of Mission San Fernando. In 1839 he received Rancho San Francisco. When he died in 1841, his son Ygnacio inherited the Camulos portion.

Ygnacio was active in public life as well as ranching. The museum history records that he was granted Rancho Tejon in 1843, served a six-month term as mayor of Los Angeles in 1850, and was elected to the California legislature in 1852. His son Reginaldo, born in 1854, became the youngest president of the State Senate at age 28 in 1882 and later led the Los Angeles Public Service Board for more than 20 years.

How did cattle shape the early ranch?

Cattle came first. Ygnacio built a corral at Camulos and stocked it with cattle in 1842, a decade before the present rancho was formally established. By the museum's account, the herd grew from a few hundred head in the 1840s into the core of a largely self-contained operation by 1880.

The family moved permanently to Camulos in 1861, and the original four-room adobe grew into a twenty-room adobe. Drought in the 1860s hurt both cattle and crops, and the family sold most of Rancho San Francisco in 1865. That sale left the smaller Camulos holding as the family's agricultural center.

Wine, brandy and the first oranges

Ninety acres of wine grapes were planted in the 1860s, along with a brick winery and a brandy distilling license. The 1870 federal industrial census listed the Camulos winery as the largest of four vintners in the San Buenaventura Township, reporting 45 tons of grapes, 6,000 gallons of wine and 800 gallons of brandy. Camulos wines and brandies had a good reputation in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.

Citrus followed. Camulos produced the first commercially grown and shipped oranges in what is now Ventura County, in 1876. By 1880 the ranch covered about 1,290 acres of citrus, vineyards, almonds, grain and vegetables, with walnuts, apricots, peaches, wheat, corn and barley in the mix. Stagecoach service reached the area in 1874 and the railroad in 1887, which widened the market for what the ranch grew.

The Key to Camulos's Success

Camulos lasted as a productive estate for generations because the del Valles kept changing what the land produced rather than staking everything on one herd. The documented record shows a family that moved from cattle to vines to oranges as markets, weather and transportation shifted.

That adaptability had limits and costs. The ranch relied on a large workforce that included Mexican and Indigenous workers, and the family lost children and, later, control of the property to illness, death and disagreement.

  • Started with cattle in 1842 and stocked a corral before the rancho was formally established.
  • Diversified into wine and brandy in the 1860s, with a brick winery and a distilling license.
  • Shipped the first commercial oranges in the area in 1876, then expanded citrus.
  • Sold most of Rancho San Francisco in 1865 after drought rather than carry all of it.
  • Gained market access as stagecoach service arrived in 1874 and the railroad in 1887.
  • Of twelve children, only five lived to adulthood, a reminder of the era's hardships.

From the del Valle Company to the Rubel family

Ygnacio held Camulos until 1880. In 1908 Ulpiano del Valle and his siblings incorporated the del Valle Company to hold the property. Family friction and deaths eventually forced a sale, and August Rubel bought the ranch in 1924 and moved there in 1925. The Rubels replaced apricot and walnut trees with orange trees.

August Rubel died in Tunisia in 1943 while serving with the American Field Service in World War II. His widow Mary remarried Edwin Burger in 1946, and after her death in 1968 Burger allowed few visitors. The family regained management after the 1994 Northridge earthquake and Burger's death, and revived the commercial citrus operation.

Visit or learn more about Rancho Camulos

Today a nonprofit museum, with del Valle and Rubel descendants on its board, oversees restoration and interpretation of the historic adobe buildings. Its stated mission is to preserve the rancho and advance understanding of California's early history through education and community engagement. The museum's address is 5164 E Telegraph Rd, Piru, and the Ventura County Museums page on the Rancho Camulos Museum is a good place to check current visiting details.

For the wider context of Southern California cattle ranching, see the ranching section on farm.FM. You can also read a farm.FM story on California ranch history. A general overview is available in the Wikipedia article on Rancho Camulos.

Timeline

  1. 1804Mission San Fernando is already using the Camulos area
  2. 1839Antonio del Valle receives Rancho San Francisco
  3. 1842Ygnacio del Valle builds a corral and stocks cattle at Camulos
  4. 1853Ygnacio establishes the 1,800-acre Camulos Ranch
  5. 1865Drought leads the family to sell most of Rancho San Francisco
  6. 1876First commercially grown and shipped oranges in present Ventura County
  7. 1908The del Valle Company is incorporated
  8. 1924August Rubel buys the ranch
  9. 1994After the Northridge earthquake, the family regains management and revives citrus

Frequently asked questions

When was Rancho Camulos established?

Ygnacio del Valle established the present 1,800-acre Camulos Ranch in 1853, carving it from the 48,612-acre Rancho San Francisco, although he had stocked cattle at the site as early as 1842.

What did Rancho Camulos produce?

It began with cattle, then added wine grapes, brandy, almonds, grain and vegetables. In 1876 it produced the first commercially grown and shipped oranges in what is now Ventura County.

Who owned Rancho Camulos?

The del Valle family owned it from Ygnacio del Valle through the del Valle Company, incorporated in 1908. August Rubel bought it in 1924, and Rubel and del Valle descendants now support the museum.

Where is Rancho Camulos?

It is at 5164 E Telegraph Rd in Piru, in Ventura County, California, and is operated as the Rancho Camulos Museum by a nonprofit.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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