Rancho Las Posas and Rancho Simi were both Mexican land grants that were owned by the de la Guerra y Noriega family of Santa Barbara. They cover large portions of present-day Camarillo, Moorpark, Simi Valley, the Oxnard Plains, and western Los Angeles County. Much of the land in this area was eventually purchased by Pennsylvania-based railroad executive and businessman Thomas A. Scott. Thomas R. Bard moved west to manage Scott's holdings in California and would later come to own much land in Ventura County. Bard oversaw Scott's business affairs in the West, which included selling and leasing portions of these large ranch properties. This collection consists of documents for the property in the area of Rancho Las Posas and Rancho Simi from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Materials include agreements, deeds and titles, leases, reports and surveys, and correspondence. One plat map has been removed from the collection to be housed in the map file.

Rancho Las Posas was a Mexican land grant in what is now Camarillo, Moorpark, portions of Simi Valley, and portions of the Oxnard Plain in Ventura County, California. It was awarded by Governor José Figueroa to José Antonio Carrillo in 1834. Rancho Simi (also known as Rancho San José de Nuestra Señora de Altagracia y Simí) was another Spanish land grant that covered much of Simi Valley and land in what is now western Los Angeles County. The land grant was held by the Pico family. Much of this land would eventually be purchased by the de la Guerra y Noriega family of Santa Barbara.

2.57 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where the museum does not hold the copyright.

COLLECTION STORED ON-SITE: Open for research. Advance requests can be made to Research Library staff via email.