Rancho Los Cerritos’ historic collection is comprised of over 15,000 artifacts and archival material that encompasses this region’s diverse cultural heritage from prehistoric times to the 1940s. Archaeological finds, historic objects, primary documents, and the historic adobe itself all form part of our repository. Through its collections, Rancho Los Cerritos enriches local communities’ understanding of and connection to the historical periods, people, and lifeways of Southern California’s past.
Collection Highlights
Adobe House
Archaeology
Artifacts
Archives
Adobe House
Front of the Adobe House
A drawing of what the adobe may have looked like when it was constructed in 1844. The flat roof is a feature of Spanish Colonial architecture while the two-story structure draws on the Monterey Colonial style of the East Coast.
South Wing of the Adobe
In this 1872 photograph, the South Wing of the adobe still retains its flat roof. The leveled structure allowed for the Rancho’s occupants to walk across the top of the house as can be seen on the right side of the image.
Courtyard During Remodel
Contractors C.T. McGrew & Sons, architect Kenneth Wing, and landscape designer Ralph D. Cornell worked together on the remodel of the adobe in the 1930s. This photograph of the courtyard shows how extensive the renovation was.
Archaeology
Cogstones
One of eleven cogstones that were unearthed during the 1930 remodel of the Rancho Los Cerritos adobe. Cogstones are unique to Southern California, but modern scholars are not in agreement about the functions they may have served.
Tizon Brown Ware
Tizon Brown Ware Ceramics are common in the San Diego coastal plain. The brown ware pictured here might indicate the trading of goods between the Tongva and other Indigenous communities farther south.
Ceramics
19th century ceramics comprise a large portion of the Rancho’s archaeological collection. These glazed ceramics feature intricate design work that reflects popular colors and motifs of the period.
Artifacts
Hair Receiver
Hair receivers were common on the dressing tables of women from the Victorian era through the 1950s. They were used to collect hair from hair brushes for a variety of purposes: making hair art, filling pincusions or other small pillows, or for creating elaborate hair styles. The hole in the top of the container was where the hair would be placed after removing it from the hair brush.
Desk
Some of the children at the Rancho were homeschooled. As such this desk was used frequently and was integral to the children’s learning. The pigeonholes and drawers above the desktop were used to hold books and other study materials, as well as toys and seashells. Jotham Bixby may have had a desk of this type in his bedroom at Rancho Los Cerritos
Temple Branding Iron
This branding iron features the Temple brand consisting of a stylized T and J combination. John Temple first registered this brand in 1852. The purpose of a brand was to identify and prove ownership of cattle that would roam across the open range.
Archives
Deed of purchase of Rancho Los Cerritos by Flint, Bixby & Co.
from John Temple in 1866
The adobe house that serves as a National Historic Landmark was built by John Temple in 1844 as a headquarters for his large-scale cattle operation. He sold Rancho Los Cerritos in 1866 to the firm Flint, Bixby & Co. for $20,000. This deed includes the documentary stamp and brief property description, and was signed in San Francisco. Bixby family lore says it hung in the hallway of RLC from 1930 to 1955.
Diary of Harry L. Bixby from 1885
A small black book with flap cover, patent date 1875; “Pacific Coast Diary” inside cover; inscribed in ink “Harry L.B. Jan 1 1885 From Papa” and “Los Angeles Cal.” in very faint pencil. Harry’s diary covers a full year, including his trip East with brother George H. Bixby at the end of the year, as well as his prep school attendance prior to matriculating at Yale.
Long Beach Blueprint
Blueprint of the area near Long Beach Boulevard and 48th Street, in reverse blue line (white lines with blue ground on white paper). Created by Southern California Edison Co., Right of Way Department, October 7,1930. Shows Jotham Bixby Company property.
