Casa Primera

Much of what is now eastern Los Angeles County was known as Rancho San Jose after the Mexican Governor granted 22,000 acres to Ygnacio Palomares and Ricardo Vejar in 1837 for sheep and cattle ranching. Palomares built his first home, a simple five room adobe known as Casa Primera, on the land for his family. Built in the typical Mexican style with thick adobe brick walls, it was the first home built in Pomona Valley and remains the oldest structure in the vicinity. When Palomares built a second larger home, his son Francisco moved into the home. It passed through numerous owners before it was purchased by the Historical Society of Pomona Valley in 1973 and restored, in a joint effort with the City of Pomona, to what it looked like in the late 1800’s. The home is listed as La Casa Primera de Rancho San Jose on the National Register of Historic Places.

Pomona, Los Angeles County
Photographer: Al Russell