Rancho Calleguas was a 9998 acres (40.5 km²) Mexican land grant

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...

 in present day Ventura County, California

Ventura County, California

Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...

 given in 1837 by Governor Juan Alvarado to José Pedro Ruiz. The grant was south of Rancho Las Posas

Rancho Las Posas

Rancho Las Posas was a Mexican land grant in present day Ventura County, California given in 1834 by Governor José Figueroa to José Antonio Carrillo. The grant extends along the Simi Valley from near present day Moorpark to Camarillo...

, and east of Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia

Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia

Rancho El Rio de Santa Clara o la Colonia was a Mexican land grant in present day Ventura County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan B. Alvarado to Valentine Cota et al...

, north of the Rancho Guadalasca

Rancho Guadalasca

Rancho Guadalasca was a Mexican land grant in present day Ventura County, California given in 1836 by Governor Mariano Chico to Ysabel Yorba. The grant was in the southern part of the county, bordering on Los Angeles County...

, and west of Rancho El Conejo

Rancho El Conejo

Rancho El Conejo was a Spanish land grant in California given in 1803 to Jose Polanco and Ygnacio Rodriguez that encompassed the area now known as the Conejo Valley in southeastern Ventura and northwestern Los Angeles Counties. El Conejo means "The Rabbit" in Spanish, and refers to the many...

, and encompassed present day Camarillo

Camarillo, California

Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at the 2000 census. The Ventura Freeway Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at...

.

History

José Pedro Ruiz (1769–1849) came to California as a soldier with the 1781 Rivera expedition

Fernando Rivera y Moncada

Fernando Javier Rivera y Moncada was a soldier from New Spain who served in the Baja California peninsula and upper Las Californias, participating in several early overland explorations. Fernando Rivera y Moncada served as a Spanish Miilitary Governor from 1774-1777. -Biography:Rivera was born...

. José Pedro Ruiz married María Ygnacia Lugo, and was granted Rancho Calleguas in 1837. José Pedro Ruiz died in 1849, and his son, José Gabriel Ruiz (1817–), inherited the rancho.

With the cession

Mexican Cession

The Mexican Cession of 1848 is a historical name in the United States for the region of the present day southwestern United States that Mexico ceded to the U.S...

 of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is the peace treaty, largely dictated by the United States to the interim government of a militarily occupied Mexico City, that ended the Mexican-American War on February 2, 1848...

 provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim for Rancho Calleguas was filed with the Public Land Commission

Public Land Commission

The Public Land Commission, a former agency of the United States government, was created following the admission of California as a state in 1850 . The Commission's purpose was to determine the validity of prior Spanish and Mexican land grants in California.California Senator William M...

 in 1852, and the grant was patented

Land patent

A land patent is a land grant made patent by the sovereign lord over the land in question. To make a such a grant “patent”, such a sovereign lord must document the land grant, securely sign and seal the document and openly publish the same to the public for all to see...

 to José Gabriel Ruiz et al. in 1866.

José Gabriel Ruiz sold the rancho to Juan Camarillo in 1876. Juan Camarillo (1812–1880) came to California with the Híjar-Padrés Colony in 1834. In 1857, Camarillo moved from 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 opened a merchandise store in what is now Ventura

Ventura, California

Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...

. Successful in business, Juan Camarillo began to invest in land, including the purchase of Rancho Ojai

Rancho Ojai

Rancho Ojai was a Mexican land grant in present day Ventura County, California given in 1837 by Governor Juan Alvarado to Fernando Tico. Rancho Ojai is located on the east side of the upper Ventura River across from the Rancho Santa Ana grant made in the same year. The grant encompassed present...

 in 1856.

Juan Camarillo died in 1880. He was survived by his wife, four daughters and three sons. Rancho Calleguas, was willed to his widow Martina (1826–1898). Martina willed her entire interest in Rancho Calleguas to her sons, Adolfo

Adolfo Camarillo

Adolfo Camarillo, was a prominent land owner, horse breeder, rancher, and philanthropist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Ventura County area of California, U.S.A. Adolfo, along with his brother Juan, Jr., owned much of what later became the town known by their family name, Camarillo...

 (1864–1958) and Juan, Jr.

Juan Camarillo, Jr.

Juan E. Camarillo, Jr. was a wealthy landowner and philanthropist in Ventura County, California, United States. Juan and his younger brother Adolfo Camarillo lived in Casa Camarillo, and were involved in the mercantile business...

 (1867–1936). Their sisters had received other properties on the father's death. It was Juan Camarillo's sons, Adolfo and Juan, who are credited with the founding of the town that was to bear their name.

Historic sites of the Rancho

• Camarillo Ranch House
  Camarillo Ranch House
  Camarillo Ranch House, also known as Rancho Calleguas and Adolfo Camarillo House, is a Queen Anne-style Victorian house in Camarillo, California. Built in 1892, the house was designed by architects Herman Anlauf and Franklin Ward. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003...
  
  . Queen Anne style house was built in 1892 by Adolfo Camarillo.