El Rancho Simi

On August 10, 1902, the first house of worship in Simi Valley was dedicated as the Presbyterian Church of Simi, California. After a few years, the cost of maintaining the church became too difficult for the small group to manage, so the church was closed, with the members joining the Methodists.
In 1912, the building became a mission of the Catholic Church in Oxnard. In 1921, the church officially became the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church with a small congregation numbering 20 families.

This is the oldest church building in Simi Valley. It served the local Catholic congregation beginning about 1910, when priests came over from Oxnard to conduct services. It became a parish in 1922, and was used until the congregation moved into new facilities on Royal Avenue in 1963. Towards the last of those years, it was so crowded that people were standing outside on the sidewalk with a p.a. system.
The building was moved to Strathearn Historical Park in 2002.

Simi Land and Water Company acquired most of El Rancho Simi, and when they began to advertise the lands for sale, they reached states in the mid-west and New England. A group of investors calling themselves the "California Mutual Benefit Colony of Chicago" bought land for a town site with nearby acreage available for farming. Their little town was called Simiopolis for a brief six-month period, but they soon went back to the simpler "Simi." The future colonists arranged for twelve small identical houses to be pre-cut and partly assembled in Chicago, then loaded onto rail cars for their trip west. Unfortunately, their settlement plans did not work out in this remote place, with no stores, roads or utilities of any kind, so the Colony soon folded, but their "Colony Houses" lasted well into the 20th century. One of the Colony Houses was used for school during the week, church on Sunday, and a dance on Saturday night. Only two remain: this one, and one on its original site in the town of Simi (near Second and Pacific).
The Colony Hose was owned briefly by the Henry and Grace Haigh family. It was occupied the longest by the Mary and John Talley family and was the scene of many happy family gatherings. It was moved to the Strathearn Historical Park in 1970.

The Wood Ranch Barns. 1n 1982, when the Wood Ranch was poised to undergo development, two barns were donated to the historical park. The Simi Valley Historical Society and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District worked together to make the move a reality. The "Open" barn houses a collection of old wooden wagons and other farm implements. The Teaching Area in the Open Barn is also the home of the Chumash Indian displays and is used as our Chumash schoolroom during our third grade school tours. The Restoration Workshop is also housed in the Open Barn.

Historical Park and Museum
137 Strathearn Place
Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District This sign is located at the parking area near the entrance to the park.

In 1795 El Rancho Simi became the first Spanish colonial land grant in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. The original grantee of the 113,000 acres was Santiago Pico, whose first dwelling was in the center of Simi Valley. Shortly after 1800, new headquarters were established further west, at the current site of the Strathearn Historical Park & Museum where a portion of the Simi Adobe is still preserved. The rancho was purchased from the remaining Picos c. 1831 by Jose de la Guerra.

Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District

El Rancho Simi
137 Strahearn Place This sign is located at the intersection of Strahern Place and Madera Road.