Rios-Caledonia Adobe facts for kids
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Ríos-Caledonia Adobe
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Ríos-Caledonia Adobe, north side
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 Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 700 Mission St, San Miguel, California |
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| Area | 1.7 acres (0.69 ha) |
| Built | 1850 |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000190 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 14, 1971 |
The Ríos-Caledonia Adobe is a very old and important house located in San Miguel, California. It was built way back in 1835! This special building is made from adobe, which is a type of brick made from earth and straw.
A man named Petronilo Ríos built this house. Today, the Ríos-Caledonia Adobe is a California Historical Landmark. This means it's a place recognized for its important history. You can even visit it! It's now a house museum and a library where you can learn about the past.
Contents
The Story of the Ríos-Caledonia Adobe
The Ríos-Caledonia Adobe has a long and interesting history. It was built by Petronilo Ríos in 1835. He was a corporal, which is a type of military leader, at the nearby Mission San Miguel. Native American workers helped him build the two-story adobe house. It was built on land that belonged to the Mission San Miguel.
Early Days of the Adobe House
The original building was made from adobe bricks. Its roof was covered with tiles made by hand. The wooden beams in the roof were held together with strips of rawhide, which is animal skin that hasn't been tanned. The Ríos family lived in this house for many years.
Later, the mission's land was sold by Governor Pio Pico. In 1846, Petronilo Ríos and William Reed bought the mission and the adobe house. After the Ríos family, a man named Warran C. Rickard bought the house from the state.
The Caledonia Inn: A Busy Stop
From 1868 to 1886, the adobe house became a busy place called the Caledonia Inn. A man named George Butchart ran it. It was a popular stop for stagecoaches traveling on El Camino Real. People could stay there as a hotel or visit the tavern.
When the Southern Pacific Railroad came to San Miguel, stagecoach travel became less common. This meant the Caledonia Inn was no longer needed.
New Uses for the Historic Building
After the Inn closed, the adobe house was used for different things. In 1887, it was a small elementary school. From 1889 to 1895, it housed various businesses. These included a mattress factory and a tailor shop. After that, it became a home for different families until 1910.
In 1923, Charles Dorries bought the property. He wanted to bring the adobe back to life as a place for tourists to visit. He even built a gift shop in 1938 that matched the adobe's style. This shop was made just for visitors.
Saving the Adobe for the Future
By 1964, the adobe house was in bad shape. The County of San Luis Obispo bought it to save it. In 1968, a group called the Friends of the Adobes was formed. Their goal was to protect and fix up the old adobe.
The Adobe Today: A Museum and Library
Thanks to a lot of hard work, major restoration was finished in 1972. The building was then officially opened to the public. Today, the Ríos-Caledonia Adobe is a county park.
A building added in 1930 now serves as a local history research library. Here, people can study the history of the area. In June 1978, a museum and gift shop opened. This allowed people to take tours of the adobe and learn all about its past.
See also
In Spanish: Rios-Caledonia Adobe para niños
