On April 28, 1943, Rancho Camulos Owner, August Alexander “Buddy” Rübel, was killed when he was driving an ambulance that came into contact with a German land mine in North Africa.

Born on July 6, 1899, Rüben was born in Switzerland while his New York parents, August Alexander Rübel and Florence Taber Toel, were vacationing. Rüben was later raised on the East Coast.

During World War I, Rüben served in the American Field Service (AFS), a noncombatant ambulance corps, driving ambulances in France from 1917 to 1919.

Eventually, Rübel graduated from Harvard and moved to Ventura County with his new wife, Mary Colgate McIsaac, in 1922. They first settled on a 400-acre ranch in Aliso Canyon near Saticoy.

In 1924, the couple purchased Rancho Camulos from the heirs of Ygnacio del Valle. They moved there the following year.

In April 1925, Rübel made headlines for purchasing Prince Auggie, a record-breaking Holstein bull for $110,000, which was considered a staggering price at the time. Rüben made this purchase with the intent of developing a world-class dairy operation.

Rübel went on to purchase the additional property of the entire 179-head Berylwood herd on the Aliso Canyon property. Rübel even brought in J.W. Snodgrass, Berylwood’s manager, to run it.

Unfortunately. Prince Auggie died in June 1926 from a twisted intestine. As a result, Rübel shut down the dairy because it was uninsured and considered a failed $1 million investment.

In 1928, he sold the farm to Ben Fratkin’s Valley Dairy Co., which operated under the Billiwhack name until the early 1940s.

Ultimately, Prince Aaggie’s head was taxidermied and mounted in the main adobe at Rancho Camulos, where the Rübels raised five children.

When World War II began in 1939, the AFS was reactivated, and Rüben rejoined to help train younger drivers because of his background as a seasoned veteran.

In 1942, Rüben decided to re-enter the field in Tunisia before his untimely death the following year, when his ambulance apparently went off-road and hit a landmine.

Rüben’s untimely death was considered a sacrifice made along with other AFS volunteers during World War II. Rüben was later buried at the American military cemetery in Carthage, a suburb of Tunis.

Sometime after the war, his late wife, Mary Rübel, married another man, Edwin Burger, in 1946. Burger managed Rancho Camulos until her passing in 1968, with the stewardship remaining with the Rübel family.

Besides the Rübel family, the Del Valles family also owned Rancho Camulos since its 1839 land grant.

In 2026, the Rübel family still owns the property but decided to preserve Rancho Camulos and have it interpreted by the nonprofit Rancho Camulos Museum.

The historic property is open for weekend tours and also serves as a picturesque wedding venue. The property is located just 10 miles west of I-5 on scenic Highway 126. Santa Clarita residents can also find more information on their website.

For yesterday’s Today in SCV History, click here.

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