Hunt Olive Tree

Richard Orville and Mary Jane Hunt purchased a large parcel of land in 1876 to establish the Salto Ranch in what is now the Lynn Ranch area of Thousand Oaks. The Hunt family moved to a house at today’s corner of Lynn Road and Hillcrest Drive in 1888. Hunt served as postmaster of the Newbury Park Post Office for 18 years and was well known in the local community. They planted numerous eucalyptus trees and a grove of olive trees on the ranch. Many of the eucalyptus are still standing, but only one olive tree remains. It was transplanted, with city approval, about 500 feet from its original location in 1993 when Circuit City built a store on the lot. The 140+ year old Hunt Olive Tree is Ventura County Historical Landmark No. 64 and City of Thousand Oaks Landmark No. 4.

Thousand Oaks, Ventura County
Images by Andrew Schmidt