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A weathered barn with rusted metal siding, overgrown dry grass, and scattered farm equipment including barrels and a blue container, part of the Dos Vientos Ranch circa 1980s.
Dos Vientos Ranch barn, circa 1980s. Credit: Conejo Recreation and Park District.

Ventura County Landmark No. 99: Dos Vientos Ranch Buildings (aka Lewis/Clark Ranch)

Historical Background

Dos Vientos Ranch was part of the original 30,593‑acre Rancho Guadalasca land grant given to Isabel Yorba in 1836. By the early 1900s, the ranch had become an important farming area under Joseph Lewis, who farmed about 8,000 acres in partnership with Adolfo Camarillo. Lewis helped establish Ventura County’s lima bean industry, and Camarillo was a well‑known regional rancher and agricultural leader (Bustillo, 1996). Their contributions helped shape the agricultural identity of Dos Vientos Ranch long before the barns were built.

As ranch operations grew, two large livestock barns were added in the 1930s out of necessity to support expanding farming and livestock activities. These barns became central working structures on the property and reflected the continued development of the ranch during that period (Bustillo, 1996).

Property Today

The livestock barns were demolished in 1996 during development of the Dos Vientos master‑planned residential community in Newbury Park. Before demolition, the barns were disassembled and carefully marked piece by piece to allow for relocation and future reconstruction (Terada, 1996). While a final site and future use for the stored wood elements have not been determined, the pieces are currently housed at the Rancho Potrero open‑space area.

Some portions of the barn wood have already been repurposed. Part of the material was used to construct the blacksmith shop at the Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park, and additional pieces were incorporated into the podium used in the Conejo Recreation and Park District boardroom (Megli‑Thuna, 2018).

Additional Reading

References

Bustillo, M. (1996, July 20). Endangered landmarks: Dos Vientos barns, link to area’s past, face uncertain future. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-20-me-26063-story.html.

Megli-Thuna, D. (2018, July 26). Splintered history. Thousand Oaks Acorn. https://www.toacorn.com/articles/splintered-history/.

Terada, J. (1996, December 25). Historic barn dismantled piece by piece. Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-12-25-me-12485-story.html.

Date Designated: May 1986

Location: In the vicinity of the Rancho Dos Vientos and Via Rincon intersection, Newbury Park

Photos:

Dos Vientos Ranch circa 1980s features a large building complex with a dirt road, surrounded by hills, trees, and scattered structures in a rural landscape.
Dos Vientos Ranch, circa 1980s. Credit: Conejo Recreation and Park District.
A weathered barn with rusted metal siding, overgrown dry grass, and scattered farm equipment including barrels and a blue container, part of the Dos Vientos Ranch circa 1980s.
Dos Vientos Ranch barn, circa 1980s. Credit: Conejo Recreation and Park District.
Interior of a 1980s ranch barn featuring a vintage car, sheep, and pony near corrugated metal and wooden beams on a dirt floor.
Interior of Dos Vientos Ranch barn, circa 1980s. Credit: Conejo Recreation and Park District.
A pile of weathered wooden beams and planks, remnants of the Dos Vientos Ranch Buildings, lies in Rancho Portrero open space with surrounding vegetation and mountains in the background.
The pile of wood that remains of the Dos Vientos Ranch Buildings in the Rancho Portrero open space area, 2018. Credit: Dawn Megli-Thuna, Acorn Newspapers.

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