Los Encinos State Historic Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Los Encinos State Historic Park |
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Garnier Building, 2008
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 Los Encinos State Historic Park
Location in California
Los Encinos State Historic Park
Location in the United States
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| Location | Los Angeles County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Encino, Los Angeles |
| Area | 4.7 acres (1.9 ha) |
| Established | 1949 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
| Reference #: | 689 |
Los Encinos State Historic Park is a special park in California. It protects old buildings from a historic ranch called Rancho Los Encinos. You can find this park in Encino, California, which is in the San Fernando Valley. The ranch has an old nine-room adobe house, a two-story stone building, a blacksmith shop, a natural spring, and a pond. This 4.7-acre site became a California state park in 1949.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
For thousands of years, a natural spring here provided water for the ancient village of Siutcanga. This village was home to the Tongva people. The name syútkanga means "place of the oak" in the local Tongva language. This name was later used in Spanish as Los Encinos, which means "the oaks."
A Spanish journey called the Portola Expedition recorded details about this village in 1769. This expedition reached the San Fernando Valley. They named it "El Valle de Santa Catalina de Bononia de Los Encinos." This means "The Valley of St. Catherine of Bononia of the Oaks."
This land was an important stop between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Many different people owned the property from the 1840s to the early 1900s. Today, the park shows how different families used the land for farming. These families included Mission Indian, Californio, French, and French Basque people.
The Amazing Springs
The Encino Springs are historic natural springs. They were the site of the Siutcanga village of the Tongva-Kizh people. Later, they provided water for Rancho Los Encinos. This area is now part of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California.
Juan Crespí wrote about the springs in his diary in 1769. In 1845, troops led by Manuel Micheltorena camped at the Encino Springs. The spring reservoirs were likely built around 1872 by Eugene Garnier. In 1875, it was said that the main ranch spring supplied a stone reservoir and a bathing pool. It produced about 5 gallons of water every minute.
In 1890, people described "a number" of springs at Encino. The water was naturally carbonated and smelled a little like rotten eggs. The water temperature was about 83 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. By 1915, there were two known springs here. The smaller one was west of the larger one and was enclosed in a small stone reservoir.
In 1925, a grinding stone and a possible burial ground were found west of the springs. An archeologist named John A. Comstock told a reporter that the local Native Americans made very fine stone tools. They were some of the best in the area. There was even an Encino Hot Springs resort in the 1920s.
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark Marker NO. 689 is at the park. It tells us:
- NO. 689 LOS ENCINOS STATE HISTORIC PARK - The Franciscan padres used Encino as their headquarters. They explored the valley before building Mission San Fernando in 1797. In 1849, Vincente de la Osa built an adobe house with nine rooms. Eugene Garnier bought El Encino Rancho next. He built the two-story limestone house in 1872. In December 1891, Domingo Amestoy bought the property.
Images for kids
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A fountain at Los Encinos State Historic Park.
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An old newspaper article about "Encino Hot Springs" from 1923.
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A map of Rancho El Encino from 1871. The grove on the left shows oak trees.
See also
- List of California state parks
- Ranchos of Los Angeles County
