Strathearn Historical Park
Strathearn Historical Park was established in 1968 when the Simi Adobe-Strathearn House and a six-acre parcel of land on which it was built were donated to Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District to be preserved as a historical landmark. The Simi Adobe, built before 1800, served as the headquarters of Rancho Simi. Robert P. Strathearn, who had purchased the surrounding 14,000 acres for a cattle ranch, built the Victorian addition to the adobe in 1892. Other buildings have been moved to the park to preserve them. The Colony Houses were prefab houses shipped from Chicago as residences for emigrant members of “the Colony of Simiopolis.” The first library (built in 1930) and the oldest church building (built in 1902) in Simi Valley are notable among the other structures and displays in the park. The Colony House and Simi Adobe-Strathearn House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Simi Valley, Ventura County
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt