Camarillo history

Land grants were given to encourage colonization, including a grant to Jose Pedro Ruiz who created the Rancho Calleguas in 1837.

Their numbers diminished until the Chumash, once the largest Indian nation in California, had largely vanished by 1839.

One grant to Jose Ruis created the Rancho Calleguas in 1847, in the area that is now Camarillo.

Camarillo is named for Adolfo Camarillo, one of the few Californios (pre-1851 California natives of Spanish ancestry) to retain his holdings after the arrival of Anglo settlers.

Established in 1868, Pleasant Valley School District is the oldest existing school district in Ventura County.

In 1874 the “Golden Triangle” or “gore” brought the first homesteaders to the area.

Juan Camarillo purchased nearly 10,000 acres from Ruiz in 1875.

In 1876, Juan Camarillo bought the 10,000-acre (40 km2) Calleguas Rancho in eastern Ventura County from Jose Pedro Ruiz for $3,000 in gold.

A few blocks westward near the middle of what is now Arneil Road, was the Pleasant Valley Baptist Church that was built in 1890.

In 1891, Martina had deeded the Rancho to her sons, Adolfo and Juan.

In 1892, Frederick Hastings Rindge and his wife, Rhoda “May” Knight Rindge, bought the 13,000-acre Rancho Topanga Malibu Sequit(known as “The Malibu Ranch”). The Rindges were the fourth – and last – private owners of this intact (i.e., non-subdivided) Spanish land grant.

The township of Camarillo existed from 1899 when the post office moved to “Calleguas”. The post office decided they could not pronounce or spell Calleguas.

A rich agricultural area flourished as the early ranchers and farmers worked to develop the towns and economy, an effort assisted by the coming of a Southern Pacific railroad to the Pleasant Valley and the 1910 Camarillo Depot.With the coming of Camarillo State Hospital and Pt.

The year was 1913 and the early rumbles of the continent gathering its strength for conflict were growing with each passing day.

Rosa Camarillo Petit remembered the heavy white paper windows that were used in the chapel until the real ones could be found, as she was married during that time -- November 11, 1914 -- the first wedding to be performed in the new chapel.

Tragically, they likewise claimed the first funeral in the chapel when their 19 month old baby daughter died in 1917.

Camarillo State Hospital began in 1932 on 1,760 acres south of town.

Ground was broken and construction began in 1939.

In 1940, four years after the death of Juan Camarillo, the family chapel of St Mary Magdalen was given to the Los Angeles Archdiocese to use as a parish church.

The present rectory at St Mary Magdalen was built in 1948.

Adjacent to the rectory, Adolfo turned the first shovel of dirt on St Joseph's Day, March 19, 1954, to break ground for the St Mary Magdalen grade school.

Several years after Adolfo Camarillo's death at the age of 94 in December 1958, Mrs.

In 1962 the population was 7500 and 3M began construction for the Mincom and Magnetic Tape Divisions, which would ultimately employ 900 people, becoming the largest local employer.

In 1963, the family put the vast ranch property up for sale.

In 1964 the closest traffic signal was 2 miles from the City center on the road to Point Mugu, and the first shopping center and supermarket were under construction.

In November 1965, Adohr Milk Farms, Inc., was sold to Southland Corporation.

In 1967, the Camarillos were still breeding the white horses on the remaining 117 acres (0.47 km2) owned by the family, and the Los Angeles Times published a feature story on the Camarillo horses.

Cardinal Timothy Manning, Archbishop of Los Angeles delivered the main address from an improvised truck trailer platform, then turned the first spade of dirt for the ground-breaking on December 29, 1974.

The first flight to the idyllic California Channel Islands National Park landed on January 1, 1975.

The formal dedication occurred on June 27, 1976.

With a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Bridgeport in 1979, he began working his way up through the ranks.

The company opened a factory in Isabela, Puerto Rico, in 1981 and seven years later added a plant in San Luis, Mexico.

In 1982 Power CA hired an engineer named Steven J. Goldman, who would play a major role in the growth of Power-One.

After heading Power CA's research and development division, he turned his attention to executive-level posts and supplemented his education by earning a master's of business administration from Pepperdine University in 1989.

He became Power CA's chief financial officer, and then in 1990 was named president.

Goldman led a management-team buyout of the company, now known as Power-One L.L.C., a Delaware entity that acquired Power CA in preparation for a sale, in September 1995, backed by the Little Rock, Arkansas investment firm of Stephens Group Inc. Its president, Fred Roberts, was a friend of Stephens chief executive officer, Warren Stephens, who was attracted to Power-One because its market was booming and sales were growing at a 30 percent clip, totaling close to $75 million in 1995.

Goldman led a management-team buyout of the company, now known as Power-One L.L.C., a Delaware entity that acquired Power CA in preparation for a sale, in September 1995, backed by the Little Rock, Arkansas investment firm of Stephens Group Inc. It came in August 1998 when Power-One paid $43.4 million and assumed $11 million in debt for Melcher Holding AG, a group of Swiss companies with three locations.

Revenues more than doubled in 1999 to $205.4 million, and net income kept pace, increasing to more than $10 million.

Another acquisition came just three months later in 2000 when Power-One paid $72 million in cash and stock for Powec A.S. of Norway.

The famous Camarillo White horses were housed in a separate stable that was previously moved and restored in 2001 and now serves as the Ranch Foundation’s headquarters.

In 2002, the site became home to California State University Channel Islands which retained the distinctive Mission Revival Style architecture and the bell tower in the South quad was adopted as the symbol of the university.

Little spearheaded the barn’s restoration while serving as foundation board president in 2003.

Sales increased to $280.3 million in 2004, when the company lost another $21.2 million.

Sales dipped to $261.6 million in 2005, and Power-One recorded a net loss of $38.3 million.

The City Library opened in 2011.