Rancho Minerva Added to the California Register
May/June 2017
By A. Hayes

Courtesy Vista Historical Society Museum

Rancho Minerva, owned and operated by the Vista Historical Society (VHS), became a State Historical Resource in October 2016. This 1933 rancho is significant under Criterion 1 due to Greek immigrant farmer Nick Huntalas. He began dry farming in 1911. After ample water arrived in 1926, the community grew groves and field crops, so the rancho is also representative of Vista's agricultural development. Nick and Bessie Huntalas's two-story Spanish Colonial Revival-style home is also significant under Criterion 3 because it embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type and method of adobe construction.

Congratulations to the Vista Historical Society for this exciting accomplishment! Sometimes the listing process can take several years, but with funding and local experts, the VHS made this happen in a single year. A grant from the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and support from the City of Vista were instrumental. Local historians Vonn Marie May and Nicole J. Purvis undertook substantial research and completed the application.

Home to the Vista Historical Museum, the rancho is Vista's third listed historical site. The other two appear on the National Register of Historic Places as well as the State Historical Register. They are Rancho Guajome and Rancho Buena Vista, both 1850s adobe haciendas.

SOHO eNEWS

2024

• November/December
• September/October
• July/August
• May/June
• March/April
• January/February

2023

• November/December
• September/October
• July/August
• May/June
• March/April
• January/February

2022

• November/December
• September/October
• July/August
• May/June
• March/April
• January/February

2021

• November/December
• September/October
• July/August
• May/June
• March/April
• January/February

2020

• November/December
• September/October
• July/August
• May/June
• March/April
• January/February

2019

• November/December
• September/October
• July/August
• May/June
• March/April
• January/February

2018

• November/December
• September/October
• July/August
• May/June
• March/April
• January/February

2017

• November/December
• September/October
• July/August
• May/June
• March/April
• January/February

2016

• December
• November
• October
• September
• August
• July
• June
• May
• April
• March
• February
• January

2015

• December
• November
• October
• September
• August
• July

Mailing - PO Box 80788 · San Diego CA 92138 | Offices - 3525 Seventh Avenue · San Diego CA 92103
Offices, Museums & Shops (619) 297-9327
Home | Contact