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Just outside Rancho Camulos, lies Piru. This quiet community was founded
circa 1887 by David C. Cook who came to the valley with the idea of
establishing a "Second Garden of Eden." Visitors to Piru have the
opportunity to view his elaborate Queen Anne home known today as the Piru
Mansion, however tours are not available.
Piru Circles brochure.
Piru History can be found here.
Lake Piru is rich in outdoor recreational activities including exceptional
fishing, camping, picnicking, boating, water-skiing, swimming, hiking, and
sailing. Lake Piru is located six miles north of Piru and adjacent to trails and
campgrounds in the Los Padres and Angeles National Forests. Full service R.V.
sites to primitive campsites are available year-round on Piru Creek.
Piru Hotel/Heritage Valley Inn
The Piru Hotel was build as a second home for David
C. Cook, Piru's founder, whose main residence is the town landmark, the Piru
Mansion. The hotel's architect and date of construction are unknown, but it is
estimated to date from 1888.
At the turn of the century, the Piru Hotel was the only hotel between Santa
Paula and Castaic Junction. It housed cattle buyers and oilman, as well as
attracting an occasional movie company on location. Mary Pickford and D.W.
Griffith stayed here in 1911 when they filmed "Ramona" at Rancho
Camulos. They’re names can still be read in the Hotel Register.
Harry Lechler was born in the hotel in 1912 when his parents owned it and
spent his boyhood years there. One of his chores was emptying the slop jars from
the guests’ bedrooms. At the time, the building had only one bathroom.
Lechler recalls hearing guests ring the bell at the front desk after the
family had gone to bed. His father’s response was casual.
"He didn’t even get out of bed," the Piru native said. "He’d
call out, ‘Yep, what is it?’ somebody would say, ‘How about a room?’ ‘Register’s
on the desk,’ he’d say, ‘First door to the left. See you in the morning.’"
The old telephone switchboard served not only the hotel but the whole town.
When his parents bought the building in 1911, they changed it’s name from
Mountain View Hotel to Round Rock Hotel for the huge boulder in the front lawn.
In the 1950s, it was converted into a rest home and housed elderly residents
until 1989. By that time it had acquired four more bathrooms and had 15
bedrooms.
The building's distinctive architecture continues to
attract the film industry for use as a set. The hotel appears in such films as
"The Five Heartbeats" and "The Silhouette." Set designers often choose the building to represent a setting in the old
south or New England.
The building newly restored and renamed The Heritage Valley
Inn preserves the warmth and hospitality it has offered during the past 110
years when it hosted stars of the silent film era. Guests will find many of the
comforts of home within its historical structure; blending western comfort with
modern technology.
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Attractions:
Fillmore Piru Citrus Association Packing House Tours are not available.
Historical Downtown Piru
Piru Hotel/Heritage Valley Inn
Built 1887; Ventura County Historical Landmark #124
691 North Main Street
805-521-0700
Piru Lake Recreation Area
Access to the Los Padres National Forest Recreation Area, (805) 521-1500
Marina, (805) 521-1231 Piru Circles
Piru Methodist Church & Organ
Build in 1887 - 90; organ undergoing repair from 1994 Northridge
earthquake; Ventura County Historical Landmark #51; shown by appt. 227 East Center Street.
Nearby Rancho Temescal is a pristine 6,000-acre
working ranch just minutes from downtown Piru. Visitors from all walks of life
will enjoy horseback riding, western equestrian events, working cattle and guest
ranch activities.
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