The oldest citrus orchard in town
While William Warren Orcutt did not discover the dinosaur fossils at what is now the La Brea Tar Pits, he was the first person to identify and legitimize the bones as belonging to the mighty lizards, in 1901. Early settlers and Native Americans were aware of the remains, but assumed they were from cattle and other regional animals. Orcutt, a petroleum geologist, involved the paleontology department at the University of California at Berkeley to excavate in earnest. The fossil beds revealed complete skeletons of the giant ground sloth, mastodon, sabre-tooth cat, and other prehistoric animals.
Orcutt’s Rancho Sombra del Roble, now known as Orcutt Ranch, ultimately became the scientist’s retirement home. Originally, the property consisted of 210 acres filled with oak trees, a citrus grove, and a creek. Now shrunk to 24 acres, it still offers a taste of what pastoral life was like when pre-industrial Los Angeles was predominantly agricultural land.
Info
Address 23600 Roscoe Boulevard, West Hills, CA 91304, +1 818.346.7449, www.laparks.org/dos/horticulture/orcuttranch.htm, orcuttranch.rental@lacity.org | Getting there Free on-site lot | Hours Daily, sunrise to sunset| Tip Gobble up some delicious empanadas at Johnny Pacific, just five miles away (7574 Winnetka Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 91306).
At Orcutt, rows of Valencia orange trees rise and spread their old branches, welcoming visitors into their still and peaceful grove. Sweetly scented air hovers thickly, and shady pathways encourage you to wander and slow down the pace. Once ripe, the sweet juicers can be picked on designated dates for a nominal fee. So too can the white grapefruits.
Visitors can also tour the modest white Spanish adobe home and explore the grounds. Of note are the swastikas seen above the windows and doors, on the exterior courtyard floor, and in the ironwork. Before the ancient symbol was co-opted by the Nazis, turning it into a sign of murder and hatred, it was used throughout the world as an emblem of luck and well-being. That is the feeling one carries while taking in the magical surroundings. Surely Orcutt would be pleased. Over the fireplace mantel is the family’s slogan: “Mean well, Speak well and Do well.”
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