Lynn Ranch History
Lynn Ranch is located in the southeastern corner of Ventura County, California. Chumash people were the original inhabitants of the area over 10,000 years ago. In 1542, Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo claimed the land for Spain. It briefly became a Mexican Territory as a result of the Mexican War of Independence in 1822, then eventually became part of the US when California gained statehood in 1850.
In 1876, the land was purchased by Richard Orville Hunt and his wife, Mary Jane. They named it “Salto Ranch,” and on it, they planted prolific olive tree groves. A historic marker still remains to this day in front of Sprouts Market, beyond the West end of Lynn Ranch, situated in front of Hunt’s last remaining olive tree. It was designated a Ventura County Historic Marker in 1981 when the tree was 100 years old.
After the death of R.O. Hunt in 1918, the land was purchased by the Lynn Family, who raised sheep and cattle. They farmed the land until the late 1950s, and then sold off a large portion to the Janss Corporation who first began developing the tracts we now know as “Lower Arroyo.” Helen Lynn kept her home and some of the surrounding land, however (what we now know as Rancho Dos Rios). She had a sprawling hill-top adobe home built by Cliff May, the famous Southern California architect credited as a master creator of Ranch-Style Homes. Helen eventually remarried and became the mayor of Thousand Oaks (as "Helen Kennon”), and remained in the original Lynn Estate until her death in 1991.
Less than a half-mile from the May house is another Lynn Ranch architectural landmark, albeit a radically different one. Hidden discreetly along the Arroyo is a modern home designed in 1988 by Frank Gehry, the acclaimed architect known for making Venice and Santa Monica famous for funky, modern design.
To this day, Lynn Ranch marches to the beat of its own drum — it is one of three original equestrian neighborhoods that chose to remain an unincorporated part of the city of Thousand Oaks and has remained a highly desirable neighborhood due to its large lots, single-story ranch homes, and six miles of bridle trails that wander throughout the neighborhood.
View of Camino Dos Rios from the vantage point of Gainsborough/Tarantula Hill.
Prior to the 101 expansion and the building of the Lynn Road onramp we now see today, this was the junction of the 101 and Calle Yucca.