Publisher's Synopsis
The Heritage Valley is a unique visitors' mecca that includes the communities of Santa Paula, Fillmore, Bardsdale, and Piru. The early ranchos of Limoneira, Rancho Sespe, and Rancho Camulos are a part of the rich history of the region. The Limoneira Ranch, founded by Nathan Weston Blanchard and Wallace Hardison, is still a success today. Santa Paula became the "citrus capital of the world," boasting the largest lemon ranch in the world. It was also the home of the Union Oil Company, and the original building now houses the Union Oil Museum. Further contributing to the area's growth, the Southern Pacific Railroad built railway lines from Ventura to Los Angeles, which allowed citrus to be shipped throughout the United States. Following the St. Francis Dam disaster in 1928, the communities worked together, rebuilt the homes destroyed, and replanted all the citrus trees lost in the flood. The Heritage Valley offers a rare combination of a close-knit community woven into a rich fabric of local history to both visitors and longtime residents alike.
