KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Rancho Camulos Museum staff is welcoming the community back from its holiday hiatus with “Helen Hunt Jackson Returns,” one of its educational shows celebrating the area’s rich history.
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Experience this annual historical reenactment at Rancho Camulos National Historic Landmark. It commemorates author Helen Hunt Jackson’s 1883 visit that inspired her to make this California Rancho one of the settings for her novel “Ramona.”
The museum pays homage to Jackson’s visit every year with its show, according to the museum’s website:
“Rancho Camulos is considered to be one of the settings for Helen Hunt Jackson’s 1884 novel, “Ramona.” Ms. Jackson, a poet and travel writer turned activist for Native American rights, wrote this novel after her book, “Century of Dishonor,” failed to rally attention to the mistreatment of Native Americans, particularly through government policy.
While the novel did have some impact on policies regarding Native Americans, its major impact was that it caused the first tourism boom to California. People fell in love with the beautiful Senorita Ramona who fell in love with the handsome Indian Allesandro and lived in the golden hills of California. The novel’s popularity, paralleling the expansion of the nation’s railroads and fueled by the promotional efforts of the railroad entrepreneurs, put the “Home of Ramona” on the map.
Therefore, it has become a tradition at Rancho Camulos Museum to pay homage to its history and begin the year with an historical reenactment of Helen Hunt Jackson’s visit to Camulos that resulted in its becoming one of the settings of this quintessential California novel that is still in print today. Visitors can share the living history experience as costumed docents portray Ms. Jackson, and the members of the Del Valle family as they welcome her to their 1853 adobe.Donation: Adults $5, Children 12 and under free. Details at www.ranchocamulos.org
Rancho Camulos Museum is located on Highway 126, 10 miles West of I-5 and 1 mile East of Piru.
The above information was provided to KHTS AM-1220 by Rancho Camulos Museum.
