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Rainwater is never a given in this region! When another drought gripped Southern California in 1894, RLC owner Jotham Bixby was desperate to quench the thirst of his grounds and livestock so he hired a “rainmaker” for $100 ($3K in today’s dollars). Payment was contingent on the production of two inches of rain. Unfortunately, the rain did not fall. The re-created water tower (minus its windmill) resides in its original location near the capped well. When Rancho Los Cerritos was connected to the City’s water supply in 1931, Cornell’s newly installed gardens could be easily irrigated with a sprinkler system. Nonetheless, Cornell incorporated the old water tower as another remnant of the historic tapestry of the estate’s unusual garden. Cornell also sited a secondary orchard around it, mixing in some ornamentals as well. With more avocados, persimmons, pineapple guava, and jujubes, it seems there is a subtle reminder that California’s agricultural concerns are only possible when water is nearby. Only a few of the secondary orchard's trees remain in this area.

Llewellyn Bixby Sr posing by water tower (1930s)

Water and food are central to daily life. When Temple’s workers lived in the adobe, they pumped water from the nearby river utilizing a water ram. This was effective until the 1860s, when a severe drought caused the river level to drop, so they dug a well in the garden and used a well sweep to pump water into the cistern. When Jotham Bixby and his family moved into the adobe in 1866, they dug a new well and built this raised water tower. They also added a windmill to the water tower, to help pump the water from the well up into the tank. In the 1930s, Rancho Los Cerritos was finally connected to the City's water system and electric grid, but Cornell incorporated the old water tower as another garden element.

The Spanish word for oven is "horno." The horno you see here (whitewashed, beehive-shaped structure) was built of adobe bricks by volunteers in 1988, to resemble the one that was once located near the ranch’s kitchen in John Temple’s time. Temple’s horno was used for baking by the Bixby’s Chinese cook, Ying, in the 1870s, although he also had a wood-burning stove in the house. This horno is used for special occasions, and it must be re-plastered with mud and then whitewashed annually. 

In the 1930s, Rancho Los Cerritos was finally connected to the City's water system and electric grid.

DIRECTIONS: Follow the pathway to the north (toward your right), as you approach the horno, which will take you back toward the historic adobe building.


RLC Backyard - Water Tower & Horno

Self-paced stroll through the historic backyard

The Rancho Los Cerritos Backyard (Accessible)

Self-paced stroll through the native garden, historic adobe, orchard, & backyard

Self-Paced Site Tour

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The site of present-day Rancho Los Cerritos is located on land that was once populated by the Gabrielino/Tongva people. The adobe sits near an ancient Indigenous village known as Tevaaxa’nga. The Gabrielino/Tongva have lived throughout the greater Los Angeles basin for thousands of years. Often called "the first Angelinos," prior to colonialization, the Gabrielino/Tongva people were primarily hunter-gatherers, but they also engaged in intra- and inter-tribal trade. Juan Cabrillo was the first European known to have made contact with them (1542), and Mission San Gabriel was the first Spanish settlement built in their region (1771).Spanish soldier Manuel Nieto received a large land grant from Alta California Governor Pedro Fages (1784), which included 300,000 acres of land in today’s southwest Los Angeles and northwest Orange counties. Nieto's heirs sold 27,000 acres of that land (which had become known as Rancho Los Cerritos, or "ranch of the little hills") to Massachusetts-born John Temple (1843), a Long Angeles merchant. Indigenous workers built the site’s two-story, Monterey-style adobe (1844), which served as the headquarters for Temple's cattle ranch. A mayordomo (ranch foreman) was employed to oversee Rancho Los Cerritos' hide &amp; tallow business, since Temple's primary residence was in the pueblo of Los Angeles.Following a two-year drought that parched the entire state of California in the early 1860s, Temple sold Rancho Los Cerritos to Flint, Bixby &amp; Co. (1866), which raised sheep on the property and employed dozens of Indigenous, Mexican, European, and Chinese workers, broadening the cultural profile of the region. The City of Long Beach was eventually founded on this land (1884), as were the cities of Bellflower, Paramount, Signal Hill, and Lakewood.When Llewellyn Bixby Sr., who was the son of Lewellyn Bixby of Flint, Bixby &amp;Co., purchased the property from the family holdings (1929), he hired architects to renovate the original adobe structure and landscape the remaining grounds (1930-31). His widow, Avis Bixby, deeded the 4.7-acre property to the City of Long Beach as a history museum, research library, and public garden (1955).Today, visitors to Rancho Los Cerritos can see how diverse cultures and many peoples have contributed to the making of modern Long Beach. The site is maintained and operated by the Rancho Los Cerritos Foundation, in public-private partnership.

Rancho Los Cerritos is a National, State, and Local Historic Landmark. The site is open to the public Wednesdays through Sundays, 1-5 PM, with extended hours on Saturdays. Admission, tours, and parking are free. Donations help support education and preservation programs. The site's 1844 adobe includes 10 furnished rooms, plus several ‘sneak-peek’ rooms currently under restoration. The grounds include historic trees planted in the mid-nineteenth century, native plants and orchard trees that date to the early twentieth century, and fragrant blooms that have just emerged this week. Part of the Long Beach public library system, the non-circulating reference library and archival holdings emphasize California and local history. The site's Visitor Center houses exhibitions and the Museum Shop's array of unique products. Service animals are welcome to accompany their owner around the site; sorry, pets are not allowed.

Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site 

After building the adobe house (1844), John Temple's workers planted the site’s first formal garden. This colonial-style garden reflected his East Coast sensibility – and his adopted West Coast environs too. Temple ordered Black locust, apple, plum, and peach trees to be shipped around Cape Horn for his new garden. He also planted five Italian cypress trees and fruit trees that were common in Mexican California, including pomegranates, oranges, lemons, figs, grapes, and olives.  Flint, Bixby &amp; Co purchased the property (1866) and installed Jotham Bixby as ranch manager. He and his family moved into the Rancho Los Cerritos adobe. Ranch workers dug a well and built a water tower with a windmill near the house to provide the family with better access to water. These improvements enabled the garden to prosper as well. The Bixbys spent many hours in the garden, as fondly recounted by Sarah Bixby Smith in her memoire, Adobe Days (1925). After the Bixbys moved out of the adobe house (1881), they leased the property to a succession of tenants, farmers, and dairymen. Row crops replaced many of the ornamental plants in the garden and pigs and chickens had the run of the backyard. During this same period, the Bixbys also sold off most of their land for farms and towns. The Virginia Country Club bought the adjacent acreage (1919) and opened the golf course. Jotham Bixby’s nephew, Llewellyn Bixby Sr., purchased the remaining five acres (1929) and embarked upon extensive renovations of both the house and gardens. Architect Kenneth Wing was hired to modernize the crumbling adobe, and landscape architect Ralph D. Cornell was commissioned to design and install an estate garden. Cornell was an early proponent of the use of native plants. Rather than depend on annuals, he favored trees that would provide structure and seasonal color. He also incorporated John Temple’s try pot (a pot for rendering cow fat) and Jotham Bixby’s water tower into his design. The City of Long Beach purchased the property (1955) and has continued to maintain the site, including its historic gardens, for public recreation, education, and research.

Welcome! Rancho Los Cerritos provides both an enduring sense of serenity and a variety of seasonal surprises. The gardens feature both native and exotic plants, and they sustain native and migratory birds, butterflies, and other critters. The adobe house, which is more than 175 years old, is embedded with many layers of history.

There are two walking routes. First, the accessible tour, which includes a brick walkway and packed-dirt pathways.  There is an ADA lift and gently sloped pathways to access the historic adobe; please ask for assistance. Second, the standard (not fully accessible) tour, which includes ascending a staircase from the native garden, several steps in the courtyard of the historic adobe, and a loose-dirt pathway through the orchard.

Standard Tour: After you check in at the Visitor Center, your tour will begin at the entrance to the California native garden. Upon emerging from the one-way looping path via the staircase, you can visit the historic adobe and then traverse the one-way orchard path to the backyard. Please circle the backyard in a clockwise direction, before ending your tour in the forecourt. Passing the administrative building, you can head back to your vehicle. Or, time permitting, feel free to walk the route again. 

Accessible Tour: After parking your vehicle in the forecourt and checking in at the Visitor Center, you can enter the backyard through the green gates to start your tour in the alcove of the veranda. Depending on your personal circumstances, you can either follow the full backyard tour (heading next to the wisteria arbor) or cross from the central brick pathway that splits the lawns (heading next to the country club gate). When you would like to see the historic adobe, please ask for assistance to utilize the ADA lift and pathways inside the structure.

Rancho Los Cerritos - Self-Paced Tour Routes 

John Temple's workers constructed a grand two-story adobe as the headquarters for his cattle ranch (1844), but the adobe never became his primary residence. He continued to live above his mercantile in the pueblo of Los Angeles. Yet here he installed a colonial-style garden reflecting his New England roots that quickly became quite the showplace. Temple requested seeds from Massachusetts, but the majority of plant material was sourced locally – all of it exotic to the Yankee – including Mission grapes, figs, pomegranates, and oranges. When Flint, Bixby &amp; Co. purchased Temple’s 27,000-acre rancho (1866) for $20,000, their deed included the 10,000 square-foot adobe, the brand, and the remains of Temple’s two-acre garden. Southern California had suffered a devastating flood and two-year drought earlier in that decade, which would certainly have impacted Temple’s garden. Unlike Temple, Jotham Bixby made the adobe his family home. He introduced two Moreton Bay Fig trees (1880 ca.) into the landscape, shortly before moving to town and leasing the property to tenants. Those fig trees eventually grew together, into one spectacular specimen that is now considered the showpiece of the backyard. The tenant period (1880s-1920s) saw a dramatic change in the backyard. Since the tenants needed to provide food for their families, row crops replaced any remaining ornamentals. There were also pigs apparent in some of the old photos, and a chicken coop was referenced in at least one oral history of the period. Llewellyn Bixby Sr. purchased the remaining 4.7-acre parcel from the family holdings (1929) and hired landscape architect Ralph Cornell to design an estate garden. Bixby had no doubt heard family stories about his uncle's garden, and Cornell embraced the concept of preserving mature trees and honoring the family legacy in his landscape design. Today, the Rancho Los Cerritos backyard is a serene, historic setting that entices visitors to stroll, to explore, and to return time and again. It is also a popular venue for weddings, celebrations, and public events.

If only these plants could talk! Several of the trees in this area were planted when John Temple built the adobe, more than 175 years ago. Some of them were planted when Jotham Bixby owned the property in the 1880s. The majority of the garden is based upon the 1930s landscape installed by Ralph Cornell, or later.

In the 1840s, Temple added a formal two-acre garden behind his adobe with raised beds and cultivated plants, which are rare in arid Alta California, and he enclosed the space with a tall redwood fence to keep his livestock out.

In the 1930s, Cornell Changed the shape of the garden, added a forecourt for guest parking, and installed a doorbell outside the gate, which ensured that visitors entered the landscaped garden before the home. 

For generations this space has served as a place for respite and recreation and continues to do so today.


RLC Backyard - Introduction

Starting at the southern end of the veranda (where there is a small alcove), your first stop in the backyard features a Black Locust tree. This type of tree, which was grown from seeds that Temple imported in the 1840s, once lined the perimeter of the two-acre garden. With their fragrant springtime flowers, the trees were equally popular with the Bixbys of both the 1860s/1870s and the 1930s. 

The Black Locust here, adjacent to the house in the alcove, is an off-shoot of one of Temple’s trees. During the 1930s renovation, the Bixbys chose to save the tree - by shaving the corner of the 1844 adobe - to accommodate its roots. It continues to bloom every spring.

DIRECTIONS: From the Black Locust, you can stroll north along the veranda (covered porch) to explore the backyard in a clockwise direction, heading next to the Wisteria arbor at the north end of the veranda. Or, if you prefer to follow the more accessible route, please take the brick pathway that starts half-way down the veranda and divides the lawns. You'll be heading toward the Country Club gate. 

NOTE: The 1844 adobe house is temporarily closed, due to Covid-19 restrictions, but please come back soon to see the inside.


RLC Backyard - Black Locust

In Temple’s time there were two peaked arbors, one on either side of the veranda, that supported grape vines. While these were only a memory by the 1930s renovation, Cornell designed a single new wisteria arbor for the estate garden. When the wisteria vines bloom in the spring, fragrant clusters of purple flowers draw many visitors - and, of course, are reminiscent of those long-ago purple grapes.  

DIRECTIONS: After exiting the wisteria arbor, head into the cutting garden, which is located to the northeast of the wisteria arbor and distinguished by raised planting beds. 


RLC Backyard - Wisteria Arbor

Typical among estate gardens of the 1930s, Avis Bixby's cutting garden provided fresh seasonal flowers. When originally designed, this was a sunny space. As the Moreton Bay Fig in the central backyard grew, however, it changed this area from sun to shade. The plants here are now shade-tolerant perennials appropriate to the period, including sweet violets - one of Avis’s favorites. 

Further along the pathway, camellias have replaced most of Avis's roses. Not only does the Moreton Bay Fig now shade this area, but the Bixbys also added a Ginkgo tree after Cornell had installed the landscaping. While the camellias certainly add winter color, the real show is in December when the Ginkgo itself changes color. An unusual species, Charles Darwin called it a “living fossil” because it has survived since the Carboniferous Period (about 300 million years ago)!

DIRECTIONS: From the Ginkgo tree, continue along the eastern perimeter pathway (which runs parallel to the Virginia Country Club), for a stunning view of the central backyard.

RLC Backyard - Cutting Garden 

The Italian Cypress on your immediate right has fared better than the others that were planted in the 1840s, most likely due to moisture from Temple's cistern that was once nearby. Temple built the adobe at the top of a hill, in a landscape of native scrub brush, so the five tall, dark cypress trees served as a landmark for travelers. A second surviving cypress is tucked away on your right, between the featured cypress and the fig tree. A third is just beyond the perimeter of the central lawn, to the left of the historic adobe. Sarah Bixby Smith (Llewellyn Bixby Sr.'s older sister), who often visited Rancho Los Cerritos in the 1870s, remembers her oldest cousin George Bixby scaring her with the cones from the cypress trees. In Adobe Days (1925), she shares his story of these “bats’ eggs,” which left her terrified. The Moreton Bay Fig was originally two trees, which eventually grew together. In the photo of the cypress and the figs (circa 1930), you'll notice that the fig trees (left) were still much smaller than the Italian cypress (right). Cornell’s landscaping plan called for installing and irrigating the central lawn, which provided the fig tree(s) with a steady supply of water. As a result, the Bixbys' 1880s fig now dwarfs the Temples' 1840s cypress – and the rest of the garden too! Native to Australia, the Moreton Bay Fig produces a prodigious number of figs every summer. They are seedy and not considered palatable today, but the indigenous peoples of Australia used them much as local Tongva from this region used acorns – mashing them into a meal.

Standing by the green gate to the Virginia Country Club, you'll have a sweeping view of the central backyard and 1844 adobe house. 

This gate served as Llewellyn Bixby Sr.’s personal entrance to the Virginia Country Club (est. 1922), where he was an avid golfer and active board member. 

On your right is one of three remaining Italian cypress trees from Temple’s 1840s garden. This specimen
has been designated an “Exceptional Tree of Los Angeles County” for its age and beauty.

The tree that practically overwhelms the garden – and the adobe house – is a Moreton Bay Fig, which was planted in the early 1880s.

Note: The fig tree’s buttressing root system is not a safe area to climb, play, or take photos. Please stay off its roots. 

DIRECTIONS: Please continue along the eastern perimeter pathway, toward the southeastern corner of the garden to see Temple's try pot.


RLC Backyard - Country Club Gate

Under the Spanish & Mexican flags, Alta California’s economy was based primarily on the hide & tallow trade and cowhides were known as “California banknotes." The hides were shipped around the horn of South America to England and New England, where they were made into saddles, boots, luggage, and other leather goods. The cow fat, or tallow, was rendered in iron cauldrons (or try pots), and the process was called "trying." Tallow was used domestically in the manufacture of candles and soap.

Incorporating the site’s history into his landscape design, Cornell placed Temple’s try pot (which was unearthed during the renovation) in Avis Bixby’s cutting garden as a unique sculptural element. This storied focal point is a tempting photo opportunity (as it was when Llewellyn Bixby’s grandchildren visited in the 1930s), but the iron try pot is in fragile condition, so please do not let anyone climb inside. The City moved Temple’s try pot to its current location several decades ago.

RLC Backyard - Temple's Try Pot

Hints for identifying herb garden beds: Aloe is used for burns, and rosemary for rinsing wounds (medicinal).Bay leaves and fennel help flavor meats and sauces (culinary).Indigo can color cotton blue, while tansy can color wood green to protect it from termites (dye).Lavender repels wool moths, even if humans find it soothing (potpourri). Hints for bonus question:If the sun is shining, look closely at the sundial. Note: depending on the season, you may need to add/subtract an hour for daylight savings time.

Especially for Families!  Planned and planted by volunteers from the Junior League of Long Beach in the 1980s, the herb garden supports our award-winning school tour program. It is divided into four sections – culinary, medicinal, dye, and potpourri – to show how the herbs are useful in different ways. The four quadrants surround a central sundial, which was dedicated to Jotham Bixby in the 1920s. Can you guess which bed is which? Bonus Question: Can you tell what time it is? (Check the "Backstory" for hints!)

RLC Backyard - Herb Garden 

Rainwater is never a given in this region! When another drought gripped Southern California in 1894, RLC owner Jotham Bixby was desperate to quench the thirst of his grounds and livestock so he hired a “rainmaker” for $100 ($3K in today’s dollars). Payment was contingent on the production of two inches of rain. Unfortunately, the rain did not fall. The re-created water tower (minus its windmill) resides in its original location near the capped well.  When Rancho Los Cerritos was connected to the City’s water supply in 1931, Cornell’s newly installed gardens could be easily irrigated with a sprinkler system. Nonetheless, Cornell incorporated the old water tower as another remnant of the historic tapestry of the estate’s unusual garden. Cornell also sited a secondary orchard around it, mixing in some ornamentals as well. With more avocados, persimmons, pineapple guava, and jujubes, it seems there is a subtle reminder that California’s agricultural concerns are only possible when water is nearby. Only a few of the secondary orchard's trees remain in this area.

Pomegranates were popular in Alta California's mission gardens, and that is likely the source for Temple’s trees. Three pomegranate trees remain from the 1840s, two in the backyard and one in the forecourt. As one the these aged, it reclined (see photo). Where its trunk touched the earth, new roots have formed. 

John Temple's garden dates to the same decade as Queen Victoria's reign; she ascended to the thrown in 1841. Interestingly, the people of that era - whom we today refer to as "Victorians" - had a language represented by flowers; the pomegranate’s flower was said to represent "mature beauty." How appropriate for this reclining beauty!

DIRECTIONS: Exit the garden through the forecourt gates (on your left as you approach the adobe’s veranda once again).


RLC Backyard - Pomegranates

Just outside the gates is a plaque that shows the dividing lines between two portions of the original Spanish land grant to Manuel Nieto (1784) known as Rancho Los Nietos grant: Rancho Los Cerritos & Rancho Los Alamitos.

The tallest tree in the forecourt is an Osage orange, which dates to Temple’s 1840s garden. The Osage orange is native to Louisiana and Eastern Texas where the Osage people harvested its roots, bark, and fruit to dye textiles and provide wood for tools and weapons.

Popular in the Midwest as a hedge to mark property boundaries since the 1800s, the Osage is unusual in Southern California. In midsummer to early autumn, the falling fruit creates astonishment for Rancho visitors who say it looks suspiciously like a “green brain.”


RLC Forecourt 

Exhibitions: Curated cultural exhibitions celebrate the diversity of the people who have called Long Beach home for over 5,000 years. The current exhibit, Tevaaxa’nga (Te-vaah-ha-nga) to Today: Stories of the Tongva People, explores the history and culture of the Tongva (Gabrielino). It is now virtually on display on our website due to Covid-19. Specialty Programming: Rancho Los Cerritos connects the community to its local and regional history through a wide array of programs designed to engage people from all walks of life. Creation Station, Bird Walks, Summer Concerts, Mud Mania, Home for the Holidays, and Storytime, provide a community space for visitors to enjoy. Adobe Days Revisited: The site’s award-winning field trip program serves nearly 6,000 fourth-grade students each year. Costumed docents use immersive theater techniques to demonstrate and teach what Rancho life was like, circa 1878. Long Ago Long Beach: The site’s award-winning outreach program features highly interactive workshops that bring the Rancho experience to more than 1,000 LBUSD second- and third-grade students annually. Long Ago Long Beach Online is now accessible on the website, including two downloadable activity booklets and instructional videos. Volunteering: Volunteers are the life-blood of most museums, and Rancho Los Cerritos is no exception! Volunteers greet visitors, lead tours, assist with collections care, help maintain the gardens, staff public programs and events, conduct research, and more. College interns work on special projects, under the direction of the site’s historical curator, education director, horticulturist, publicist, and/or fundraising director. The site also offers volunteering opportunities specifically for high school students, who can earn valuable community service hours while developing career/college readiness skills, whether during the school year or in the summer. Get involved! California Research Library: Containing more than 3,000 books on California history, both rare volumes and current publications, the research library is a non-circulating reference center for scholars and students alike. In addition to finding aids available on site, the books are cataloged through the Long Beach Public Library. Appointment required. Private Rentals: Rancho Los Cerritos has lovely spaces available for a wide array of events, including weddings, baby showers, anniversary parties, corporate retreats, book club meetings, and more. Pricing varies by date, time, and size of meeting.

In addition to self-paced and docent-led tours, Rancho Los Cerritos offers engaging, inclusive, and historically-informed experiences throughout the year.  Check the "Backstory" for more about the programs and opportunities typically offered.

The Rancho Los Cerritos Backyard (Accessible)

RLC Backyard - Water Tower & Horno

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context