As part of our mission to preserve and interpret the cultural history of the region, we frequently discuss and promote the importance of Helen Hunt Jackson’s novel Ramona and her visit to Rancho Camulos in the 1880s. Trevor Morgan of The Signal covered a re-enactment we hosted in January, Helen Hunt Jackson Returns. We’ve shared the opening notes below, please link through to the news site to read the entire article.

On a cold January afternoon in 1882, author Helen Hunt Jackson pulled up in her carriage to the rustic Rancho Camulos, nestled among the citrus groves in the Santa Clara River Valley outside of Piru, on her way to Santa Barbara.  

Coming off the heels of a scathing work of journalism titled “A Century of Dishonor,” in which she reported on atrocities against Native Americans by researching U.S. government records, she wanted to further explore the lives and conditions of Native Americans in Southern California.  

Actors from the Rancho Camulos Museum played out this locally famous historical event on Sunday by re-creating Jackson’s visit, which became the inspiration for Jackson’s famous 1884 novel, “Ramona.” 

Performers Connie Tripp, playing the author Helen Hunt Jackson, and Rodney Tripp, playing the carriage driver Mr. Hobart, perform together during the Re-creation performance of ‘author Helen Hunt-Jackson’s Visit at Rancho Camulos Museum in Fillmore, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023. Chris Torres/The Signal

Performers Connie Tripp, playing the author Helen Hunt Jackson, Maria Christopher, playing Susana Del Valle, Lynn Adams, playing Asuncion Varela, and Marie Mason, perform together during the Re-creation performance of ‘author Helen Hunt-Jackson’s Visit at Rancho Camulos Museum in Fillmore, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023. Chris Torres/The Signal