Pio Pico State Historic Park is the site of "El Ranchito," also
known as the Pio Pico Adobe or Pio Pico Mansion, the final home of
Pío Pico, the last Governor of Alta California under Mexican Rule
and a pivotal figure in early California history. Located in
Whittier, California, on 6003 Pioneer Blvd off of Whittier Blvd.
and Interstate 605, it is a California Historical Landmark No. 127,
listed as "Casa de Governor Pío Pico". Just west of the park is the
San Gabriel River and the city that bears his name Pico Rivera. The
park consists of the land that surrounds the adobe.
After the Mexican-American War and starting in 1848, Pío Pico
began acquired the 9,000-acre (36 km) Rancho Paso de Bartolo,
building an home in 1853. The home was damaged by the flooding of
1867, which set the San Gabriel River to its present course, and
was nearly destroyed in 1882 by flooding. The structure was
completely redone into its current form, adding American-style
elements into the traditional Californio design. In 1892, Pio Pico
was evicted from the property by Bernard Cohn, an American lawyer.
When taking what he thought was a loan from Cohn in 1883, Pico, who
could not read or write English, had conveyed the deed for the
property, and courts ruled with Cohn. Pico died a pauper two years
later at his daughter's home.
By 1898 the city of Whittier began buying up parts of the
property to construct a water pumping facility. In 1907, local
Whitter citizens, led by Harriet Williams Russell Strong, were able
to have the site made a historic monument. Strong, who had known
Pico since 1867, purchased the property and had it restored it in
1909. The property was conveyed to the State of California in 1917
and designated one of its first State Historic Parks in 1927. The
State of California did further renovations in 1944. The Adobe was
seriously damaged in the 1987 Whittier Narrows earthquake, forcing
it to close. While funds were being raised for restoration, the
situation was further complicated by additional damage caused by
the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Finally, in 1996 a Los Angeles
County Proposition was passed that earmarked $2.5 million for the
restoration of the Park. As a result, restoration of the structure
began in 2000, the historic landscape in 2002, with the park
finally reopening on September 20, 2003.
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