When I read about an interesting place to visit, I save it on my Google Maps. My map has hundreds of places across the USA and is very handy when going on road trips. If I am going away for a day or a weekend, I can look at it and find interesting places to visit and sites to see along the way. It was this great technological tool that brought me to Strathearn Park on a day when I was in Simi Valley, California. This park combines my love of historic sites and of being outside.
As much as you can learn while visiting a museum or historic site, thanks to the internet, you can definitely dive into a rabbit hole while learning more. I’m going to go ahead and add a few links.
The history of the land on which the park stands began with the Chumash. They were hunter-gatherers whose lives began to change forever in 1542 when Spanish explorers came upon them. Their lands began to be colonized in 1772 with the building of the Mission San Luis Obispo. In 1776, the Juan Bautista de Anza Expedition settled onto the land that the Strathearns would eventually own.
The Strathearns, formerly of Scotland, bought 18,000 acres in Simi Valley in the 1800s. They were cattle ranchers who once had buildings like a blacksmith shop, and barns on their land. Their Victorian home, built onto the front of an old adobe house and kept in fantastic shape by the park I might add, as well as a Barber Shop, Simi Store General Merchandise and multiple other historic buildings brought in from around Simi valley are on the site. Also on site are old-timey wagons and farming equipment, which always brings me joy. You can walk into the structures and listen to the audio tour, which I definitely recommend. There are signs by the structures, but the audio tour gives more in-depth information that is actually interesting and for sure worth a listen. There is a website or QR code you can go to once you are in the park. The park is part dirt road and part grass, so don’t wear your fancy shoes.
There is a visitor center at the entrance. It is there you can see pictures and old equipment and whatnot. But more importantly is that there are docents in that building! Sometimes I just want to go about my business and walk around places on my own, but boy is it cool when docents are around. They always share interesting tidbits and of course a lot more information than you will even get from an audio tour. Check their site for information about tour availability as well as park hours.
137 Strathearn Place, Simi Valley, CA 93065
Dart and Map 
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