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250,000 Emigrants, the Overland Mail, and One Extraordinary Latina:
The Warner-Carrillo Ranch House
By Ann Jarmusch
March/April 2021
 The Carrillo family commissioned artist Robin Lakin to paint a composite portrait of Vicenta Carrillo using family photos. The painting is based on the image of Vicenta and her children, as well as her sisters and her son José Antonio Yorba, who strongly resembled his mother. |
Twice widowed rancher, mother of twelve, and an entrepreneur, Doña Vicenta Sepúlveda de Yorba de Carrillo (1813-1907) was one of the most accomplished and wealthiest women of old California. Her impact on western expansion into San Diego County may now be experienced through SOHO's newest online exhibit, "250,000 Emigrants, the Overland Mail, and One Extraordinary Latina: The Warner-Carrillo Ranch House."
The adobe Warner-Carrillo Ranch House (1857) and unchanged environs offer a breathtaking immersion into how the vast area looked to emigrants more than a century ago. Whether arriving by covered wagon, overland stage, or horseback, many wrote in their diaries of their relief and excitement at having crossed several deserts to land at the miraculously green ranch and trading post.
However, since you're currently unable to visit the ranch house during the pandemic, when this National Historic Landmark is closed, or can't make it there for other reasons once we reopen, SOHO's online exhibit is the answer. It is filled with intriguing biographical details; newspapermen's first-hand accounts of a rough ride on the Butterfield Stage, which stopped at the ranch house; and prominent San Diegan William Heath Davis's admiration for Vicenta's intelligence, beauty, and generosity. You'll also find historic photos and accounts of the family's cattle ranching success with the help of cowboys, which continued until 1960.
 The Warner-Carrillo Ranch House as it stands today, much as it did in 1858. Photo courtesy Google streetview |
That's when the Vista Irrigation District assumed ownership and stewardship of this nationally significant property. SOHO, and a host of others, helped VID save the adobe ranch house from ruin, and today operates the site as a house museum while overseeing its restoration.
This online exhibit is part of SOHO's ever expanding digital initiative, enabling anyone in the world with an internet connection to learn and appreciate San Diego's unique story. We hope you enjoy it!
Visit THE EXHIBIT today!
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