History
The Harry Carey Ranch stands at 28515 San Francisquito Canyon Road in the Saugus area of the Santa Clarita Valley, on a parcel originally developed in the 1920s as the working ranch of the silent and early sound film star Harry Carey. Carey, who specialized in Western roles for John Ford and other directors of the period, established the property as both a family home and an active livestock and grain operation, modeled in its layout and detailing on the small Hispanic ranchos that defined the regional rural landscape.
The principal buildings, including the main residence, guest quarters, and outbuildings, were rendered in the Spanish Colonial Revival idiom that dominated southern California architecture in the 1920s, with stucco-faced walls standing in for adobe, low-pitched clay-tiled roofs, deep window reveals, hand-wrought iron grilles, exposed timber, and arcaded loggias linking principal rooms to outdoor courtyards. The site retained substantial open ranch land, corrals, and ancillary structures associated with the agricultural and equestrian use of the property. The Historic American Buildings Survey produced documentation of the principal buildings, archived at the Library of Congress, that records their form and detailing.
The ranch sustained significant damage during the 1928 St. Francis Dam disaster, which sent floodwaters down San Francisquito Canyon, and was rebuilt and continued in operation through the Carey family's tenure. The property remained in private ownership through subsequent decades and was eventually placed under the stewardship of the Santa Clarita Woodlands as part of regional open space and historic preservation efforts.
The Harry Carey Ranch is generally accessible through the surrounding park lands rather than as an open house museum, with interpretive markers explaining the history of the site. Within California's broader adobe and Hispanic Revival tradition, the property represents the 20th-century studio-era application of the idiom, in which film figures translated the mission and rancho vocabulary into working country estates in the canyons surrounding the Los Angeles studios.
Common questions
What is Harry Carey Ranch?
Harry Carey Ranch is a historic adobe property in Saugus, California, documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress. The ranch complex includes a main ranch house, caretaker's house, adobe stable, wood stables, bunkhouse, and pool cabana.
When was Harry Carey Ranch built?
Harry Carey Ranch's exact date of construction is unknown from this entry. The ranch was recorded by the Historic American Buildings Survey, which documents the property's adobe construction and exterior finishes.
Where is Harry Carey Ranch located?
Harry Carey Ranch is located at 28515 San Francisquito Canyon Road in Saugus, Los Angeles County, California.
Is Harry Carey Ranch open to the public?
No, Harry Carey Ranch is a private residence and is not open for tours. The property has been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey, with photographs and records preserved at the Library of Congress.