When I Think of Home: Images from L.A. ArchivesMain MenuIntroductionThe greater Los Angeles area is on the traditional lands of the Gabrielino/Tongva, Chumash, Fernandeño Tataviam and Yuhaaviatam/Maarenga’yam (Serrano) peoples. We acknowledge their presence here since time immemorial and recognize their continuing connection to the land, to the water and to their ancestors.L.A. FirstsMigration to Los Angeles in Pursuit of Health and HappinessThe Community and Cultural Enclaves of L.A.Los Angeles Architecture and LandscapesHistoric Home MuseumsContributorsChronologyMapping the ExhibitAcknowledgementsWhen I Think of Home: Images from L.A. Archives is the first digital History Keepers exhibit produced for the annual Archives Bazaar and would not have been possible without the collaboration of LAAS members and Archive Bazaar Exhibit subcommittee members.
Rancho Los Cerritos is an historic home and gardens located in Long Beach, California. While the history of the land dates back many centuries, the house itself was built to be the headquarters of a 27,000 acre cattle ranch in 1844 by Los Angeles resident John Temple. The ranch evolved during the 175 years since its construction, its ownership and land use changing several times before becoming a city-owned museum in 1955. Currently, Rancho Los Cerritos is a National, State, and Local Historic Landmark.
The mission of Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site is to restore and preserve the ranch house structure and grounds; collect appropriate resources; and interpret the relationship of the Rancho’s diverse peoples, from the period before Spanish settlement when Native Americans controlled the land, through the development of the Long Beach area, to the present day.
The adobe ranch house, built in 1844, is the most important “artifact” at Rancho Los Cerritos, and the museum collections are aimed toward researching and sharing information about the house. For this reason, our collections include objects and archival materials that are directly associated with the Rancho and its owners, occupants and workers from prehistoric times through 1955.
The Archives contain original documents, maps, blueprints, photographs, and sound and image recordings directly associated with the Rancho and its owners, occupants and workers. Highlights include the Sarah Bixby Smith Manuscript Collection, Llewellyn Bixby, Jr. Manuscript collection, a series of 1872 stereograph cards of Rancho Los Cerritos by William Godfrey of Los Angeles, photographs of the site from 1872 through the 1940s, and architectural blueprints of the adobe during the 1930 remodel. The museum’s collections include more than 1,000 items of clothing and textiles from the 1830s-1930s. There are also over 1,100 historic photographs of the rancho and its occupants, as well as various maps, letters, deeds and other documents relating to the site. The collections also include archaeological artifacts discovered onsite.
Rancho Los Cerritos is an historic home and gardens located in Long Beach, California. While the history of the land dates back many centuries, the house itself was built to be the headquarters of a 27,000 acre cattle ranch in 1844 by Los Angeles resident John Temple. The ranch evolved during the 175 years since its construction, its ownership and land use changing several times before becoming a city-owned museum in 1955. Currently, Rancho Los Cerritos is a National, State, and Local Historic Landmark.
The mission of Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site is to restore and preserve the ranch house structure and grounds; collect appropriate resources; and interpret the relationship of the Rancho’s diverse peoples, from the period before Spanish settlement when Native Americans controlled the land, through the development of the Long Beach area, to the present day.
The adobe ranch house, built in 1844, is the most important “artifact” at Rancho Los Cerritos, and the museum collections are aimed toward researching and sharing information about the house. For this reason, our collections include objects and archival materials that are directly associated with the Rancho and its owners, occupants and workers from prehistoric times through 1955.
The Archives contain original documents, maps, blueprints, photographs, and sound and image recordings directly associated with the Rancho and its owners, occupants and workers. Highlights include the Sarah Bixby Smith Manuscript Collection, Llewellyn Bixby, Jr. Manuscript collection, a series of 1872 stereograph cards of Rancho Los Cerritos by William Godfrey of Los Angeles, photographs of the site from 1872 through the 1940s, and architectural blueprints of the adobe during the 1930 remodel. The museum’s collections include more than 1,000 items of clothing and textiles from the 1830s-1930s. There are also over 1,100 historic photographs of the rancho and its occupants, as well as various maps, letters, deeds and other documents relating to the site. The collections also include archaeological artifacts discovered onsite.
12020-09-30T15:39:01-07:00Curtis Fletcher3225f3b99ebb95ebd811595627293f68f680673eLife in the Rancho Los Cerritos Courtyard4Stereograph view of the Rancho Los Cerritos inner courtyard with buggy and two men visible, most likely a Mexican worker and (in background) a Chinese cook.Spring 1872. Photograph taken by Los Angeles photographer William Godfrey.plain2020-10-11T19:55:20-07:001872Rancho Los CerritosNo Copyright- in public domain33.8397222,-118.1955556Courtesy of Rancho Los CerritosLong Beach, Calif.William Godfrey (Photographer)Stella Castillo3fcfe63ebb36641784421d25ab3a77ed9ea98855
12020-09-30T15:39:01-07:00Curtis Fletcher3225f3b99ebb95ebd811595627293f68f680673eHABS photograph of Rancho Los Cerritos, 19342Veranda and east side of Rancho Los Cerritos adobe. Photograph taken as part of the Historic American Buildings Survey, this image features the adobe after the 1931 remodel, March 8, 1934.plain2020-10-12T10:34:31-07:0003/08/1934Rancho Los CerritosCopyright has not been assigned to Rancho Los Cerritos.33.8397222,-118.1955556Courtesy of Rancho Los CerritosLong Beach, Calif.Daniel Cathcart, Historic American Buildings SurveyCurtis Fletcher3225f3b99ebb95ebd811595627293f68f680673e
12020-09-30T15:39:01-07:00Curtis Fletcher3225f3b99ebb95ebd811595627293f68f680673eManuel Liera, ca. 19251Manuel Liera standing at southeast corner of RLC adobe feeding chickens; wooden bedroom on south veranda visible on house. Lieras lived at Rancho Los Cerritos as married couple with their children from 1924-1926.2020-09-30T15:39:01-07:00circa 1925Rancho Los CerritosCopyright has not been assigned to Rancho Los Cerritos.33.8397222,-118.1955556Courtesy of Rancho Los CerritosLong Beach, Calif.UnknownCurtis Fletcher3225f3b99ebb95ebd811595627293f68f680673e