Jensen Alvarado Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cornelius Jensen Ranch
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Jensen Alvarado Ranch House in 1870
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | Jurupa Valley, Riverside County, California, USA |
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| Nearest city | Rubidoux, California |
| Built | 1870 |
| Architectural style | Danish vernacular |
| NRHP reference No. | 79000519 |
| Added to NRHP | September 6, 1979 |
The Jensen Alvarado Ranch is a special historic park and museum located in Jurupa Valley, California, USA. It's managed by the Riverside County Parks. You can visit it at 4350 Riverview Drive or 4307 Briggs Street. This ranch is important because its main house was the very first building in Riverside County made with bricks fired in a hot oven (a kiln). It's also the oldest building in the Inland Empire that isn't made of sun-dried mud bricks (adobe).
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History of the Ranch
The story of the Jensen Alvarado Ranch begins with Cornelius Jensen. He was a sea captain from Denmark. Around 1854, he settled in a town called Agua Mansa. There, he opened a store. Soon after, he married Mercedes Alvarado, a woman from a Californio family.
In 1862, a huge flood hit the area. Most of Agua Mansa was washed away. Only the cemetery, the chapel, and Jensen's store survived. After the flood, Jensen decided to buy land. He bought a part of the Rubidoux ranch in 1865.
Between 1868 and 1870, Cornelius and Mercedes built their home. It was on a ranch that was about 300 to 400 acres (121 to 162 hectares) big. Jensen had learned from the flood that adobe bricks dissolve in water. So, he built his new home using traditional, strong bricks. Their house was very important for the area. It served as the local general store, the post office, and even a stop for stagecoaches. It was built right next to the town's chapel. At one point, the ranch was worth about $30,000. This made it the second most valuable ranch in Riverside County.
Building Style of the Home
The Jensen-Alvarado house has a unique building style. It's called Danish vernacular. This style showed Jensen's roots from his birthplace in Sylt, Denmark. But the house also had a front porch. This part showed Mercedes' influence as a Californio.
The house was the first building in Riverside County made with kiln-fired bricks. These are bricks that are baked in a very hot oven. It was also one of California's first clay brick buildings. The clay used for the bricks came right from the ranch itself! The strong rock foundation and the lime for the mortar came from Jensen's own quarry north of the house. The wood for the house beams was brought from the San Bernardino Mountains. The house has tall ceilings, but it only has one closet.
There are other brick buildings on the ranch too. One of them was a winery. Today, this old winery is used as a museum.
Farming and Ranch Life
The Jensens were busy farmers. On their Agua Mansa ranch, they grew apricot and orange trees. They also grew wheat and raised sheep. Besides this, they owned another 400 acres (162 hectares) of land in Temecula.
While Riverside was a "temperance city" (meaning alcohol was not allowed), the Jensen's ranch was different. It was on the other side of the Santa Ana River. They had a vineyard there. Each year, they produced and sold about 2,000 gallons (7,571 liters) of wine.
A Special Historic Place
Today, the Jensen Alvarado Ranch is a 32-acre (13-hectare) historic park and museum. It's like a living history museum from the 1880s. Riverside County Parks manages it. When you visit, guides dressed in old-fashioned clothes lead you around. They show you what life was like back then. You might see them making butter or cooking tortillas!
The ranch and home are officially recognized as a California Historical Landmark. Its number is 943. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 6, 1979. The ranch is important for many reasons. It shows the unique architecture and farming methods of that time. It also highlights Cornelius Jensen's important role in settling the area and his work in local government.
See also
In Spanish: Rancho Jensen Alvarado para niños
