Campo de Cahuenga

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Visit our Tour Destination: Southern California page to see the entire tour of the area’s Save America’s Treasures sites.

The Campo de Cahuenga museum, a replica of the site's original adobe ranch house.
Photo courtesy of Campo de Cahuenga Historical Memorial Association.

Campo de Cahuenga

3919 Lankershim Boulevard

Studio City/North Hollywood, CA

Website:  Campo de Cahuenga

The Treasure:  Known as the “Birthplace of California,” Campo de Cahuenga was the site where an 1847 treaty was signed between Californians and the United States, paving the way for California’s looming statehood.

Accessibility:  Currently, Campo de Cahuenga is only open to the public on the first Saturday of each month from noon to 4. Check their website for details... and check for special events, too.

A special event at Campo de Cahuenga:  Recreating
the original treaty signing.  Photo courtesy of
Campo de Cahuenga Historical Memorial Association.

Background:  On January 13, 1847, Lt. John C. Fremont (representing the United States) and General Andres Pico (representing Californians) signed the Treaty of Cahuenga, agreeing to peace between their people even as the Mexican-American War continued on. While California would not be officially ceded to the United States until the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the working deal had already been cut at Campo de Cahuenga.

In the decades following the treaty, the historical significance of the site was forgotten. By 1900, the large adobe that originally stood at the treaty site had crumbled away and the land had been cultivated with cherry, peach, apricot, walnut, and plum trees. During the first decades of the 20th century, interest in recovering the legendary site began to mount. The state officially recognized the site in 1922 and in the following year, the City of Los Angeles purchased the land to create the Fremont-Pico Memorial Park and Museum.

Since then, intermittent archaeological excavations have added considerably to our knowledge of the history of Campo de Cahuenga. The original foundations have largely been determined and early 19th century floor tiles have been identified, shedding new light on the early days of California.

Notes from the Editor:  I love sites like this that show archaeology in action. While I appreciate that you can see a historic re-creation of the original ranch house adobe at Campo de Cahuenga, the real thrill for me is to stroll around the sites of recent professional archaeological excavations. It’s history in the raw!

Images of the archaeological work at Campo de Cahuenga.
Photographs courtesy of Campo de Cahuenga
Historical Memorial Association.

Other Recommended Sites:  What’s your historical interest?  There are all types of historical societies and small museums scattered through nearly every neighborhood of Los Angeles.  For a quick and easy rundown of many intriguing sites, here’s an impressive list of Historical Societies, Museums & Archives in Los Angeles County, courtesy of Los Angeles Almanac.

A plaque marking the site of the original adobe.
Photo courtesy of Campo de Cahuenga
Historical Memorial Association.

Tour America's History Itinerary

Wednesday’s destination:  San Diego Museum of Man
Friday’s destination:  Plaza House and Vickrey-Brunswig Complex

© 2012 Lee Price