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By J.O. Davidson [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Jotham Bixby’s younger brothers, Henry H. Bixby (1836-1901) and George F. Bixby (1841-1892), enlisted in the 21st Infantry Northern Regiment on October 14, 1862 at Augusta, Maine. On Oct. 14, 1862, the brothers marched from Bangor, Maine to Washington, D. C. and then on to New Orleans, where they arrived in early February 1863. They went[…]

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Matilija Poppies are May’s plant of the moment. This stunning flower (Latin name: Romneya coulteri) is located in the California Native garden in three separate areas: by the stairs, below the lower retaining wall, and up slope toward the picnic area. Predominantly found in the Ojai area of Ventura County, this is an aggressive perennial that colonizes[…]

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ducks

These two mallards have been visiting Rancho Los Cerritos for years. They love bathing in the pond’s inner courtyard. For many seasons, the RLC ducks have nested on site, but they have never been able to raise a brood, due to poor nest placement and predation. We’re hoping this is the year for a successful[…]

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Dena White

Dena White, Curatorial Textile Intern Education info: BA in Journalism; currently studying pre-program conservation methods and digitization of historical collections. What led you to pursue an internship at the Rancho? As I was nearing graduation, I realized that the current state of journalism no longer reflected my interests. Instead, I sought opportunities to gain experience[…]

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Tulip 'Kingsblood'

  Tulips are March’s plant of the moment. They can be seen in their annual glory in the courtyard and will be coming soon to the backyard. Tulips get special treatment here at Rancho Los Cerritos: in order to get a proper chill on these bulbs in our temperate climate, they spend several weeks in our[…]

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Rancho Los Cerritos welcomed this year’s lecture series, “Foodways of the West” with special guest Craig Torres leading a discussion on Tongva Traditions on Feb. 25. Tongva descendant Craig Torres delved into the cultural history of the Tongva, particularly on Spanish colonization and its effects on indigenous peoples and plant life. Torres explored how the impacts of[…]

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  As people looked toward the West during the mid 19th-century, the presence of African-American cowboys in the cattle herding industry was overshadowed by depictions of a romanticized frontier at the reign of White cowboys. In Southern California, cattle ranchers like Rancho Los Cerritos ownder John Temple were being swept away with the booming demand[…]

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Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Howard McMinn,’ or Manzanita Howard McMinn is February’s plant of the moment. The evergreen shrub was hybridized from a species native to Central California and has since found its way to Rancho Los Cerritos in Long Beach. This winter plant is located at the top of Arroyo on the site and along the fence[…]

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