Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SAN YSIDRO RANCH
.
,
When the Spanish explorers came to Santa Barbara and displaced the Native Americans, they took
ownership and title to the property in the name of the king of Spain. It was common during those
times for the king to reward the explorers and noblemen of his country with land grants, which put
some of the property into private hands.
In some cases, various parts of the countryside were given to the church for its missionary work
in trying to convert the Indians to Christianity. The first mission was built in San Diego in 1769.
Over the next 54 years, the padres constructed 21 missions along the California coast, stretching
from San Diego to San Francisco.
The Santa Barbara Mission was built in 1786, partially destroyed by a severe earthquake in 1925,
and rebuilt to its present condition. Considered to be one of the most beautiful of all the remaining
missions, the Santa Barbara Mission is the only one that has been continuously under the control
of the Franciscans since its original construction. Many of the other missions were secularized by
Mexican law after that country became independent of Spain in 1821.
The Franciscans traveled extensively throughout California territory while building their net-
work of missions. The San Ysidro Ranch site, which was part of one of the original land grants, was
first developed as a way station for the Franciscan padres in the late 1700s. Once the completed Santa
Barbara Mission took in the traveling monks, the way station became a citrus ranch.
Known originally as the San Ysidro Citrus Ranch, and later as the Johnston Fruit Company,
the ranch produced an average of 300,000 oranges and 100,000 lemons annually. A large sandstone
packing house was built in 1889 to handle the citrus production. Today, that sandstone structure is
the ranch's acclaimed Stonehouse Restaurant.
As agriculture turned to ranching, an adobe ranch house was built on the property in 1825. Still
standing today, it is referred to as the “Old Adobe” and is one of the most unique private dining
rooms in the state. Later, in 1892, a more substantial ranch house was built on the property. Only one
year later, the ranch began to accept guests; the newer ranch house now serves as the guest check-in
area and as a living room for guests to relax and socialize.
During the 1930s, British Oscar-winning actor Ronald Colman came to town. Having success-
fully made the transition from silent movies to “talkies” and an acclaimed role in
A Tale of Two Cit-
ies
, Colman, along with former Senator Alvin Carl Weingand, acquired the ranch and transformed
it into an elegant retreat. The idyllic setting and personalized service attracted everyone, but their
