Rancho Sierra Vista
Rancho Sierra Vista in Ventura County, California, United States, is one of the last intact ranches from the first half of the twentieth century in the Santa Monica Mountains.
The horsemen portrayed in the Saddle Rock Ranch Pictographs in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains are considered to be a representation of Portola's exploring party, and have been determined to be eligible as a National Historic Landmark.
[4] The lands of the Rancho Las Vírgenes included present day Agoura Hills, Oak Park, and Westlake Village and part of the Santa Monica Mountains.
Local ranching history in the western Santa Monica Mountains began in 1803 when former soldiers Jose Polanco and Ignacio Rodriquez were granted Rancho El Conejo by the King of Spain.
Beal constructed most of the current ranch buildings and his house and barbecue pit in Sycamore Canyon in what is now Point Mugu State Park.
He and his family lived primarily in Los Angeles and visited Rancho Sierra Vista only occasionally, for weekends or holidays.
Danielson is responsible for completing the ranch house, including the swimming pool, and paving twelve miles of roads.
[8] Danielson is reported to have "preserved the early Spanish atmosphere [of Rancho Sierra Vista] by employing true Mexican vaqueros to handle their large herd of Hereford Cattle.
The Wendy Drive Trailhead can also be used to access Rancho Sierra Vista, Point Mugu State Park, as well as the 25 miles of the Los Robles Trail system, which is administered by the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency.
According to the National Parks Conservation Association, "the majority of the barns, equipment sheds, wells, and staff residences from this period (1936-1946) remain, making Rancho Sierra Vista historically significant as one of the last intact 20th-century ranches in the Santa Monica Mountains.
[11] A restoration project to bring back critical habitat for birds and other animals had already been started when in May 2013, the Springs Fire burned nearly 70 percent of Rancho Sierra Vista.
