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Jensen Alvarado
Historic Ranch and Museum
Built by retired sea-captain Cornelius Jensen and his wife Mercedes Alvarado in the early 1870s, today this historic ranch preserves the rhythm of farm life from a time before even citrus was king. Now just 30-acres of what was once an expansive ranch, Riverside County has set aside an oasis of historic farmland in the ever-growing city of Jurupa Valley. Visitors to our site can wander through our orchards, feed our resident farm animals, or just walk through the historic ranch house. read more...
SITE HOURS
Open to the public:
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
By appointment Only
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. | Activities
FEES
Day use:
House and museum tour only:
$5 per adult | $3 per child | $1 dogs
(under 12 years of age)
Group Tours: Prices vary
Tours for groups of 40+ people are available on Fridays by appointment only.
School Tours: $11 per student
Call to book your tour (951) 369-6055
Please note: plan your date in advance, we book the entire school year by October.
FEATURES
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Tours of an era-preserved home
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Museum
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Feed farm animals
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Picnic Area
ANNUAL EVENTS
Annual Civil War Reenactment Event
Annual Harvest Festival Event
2nd Saturday in November
CANCELLED - The Annual Civil War Reenactment! Visit our events calendar for more info!
ADDRESS
4307 Briggs Street
Jurupa Valley, CA 92509
Phone: (951) 369-6055
or (800) 234-PARK (7275)
HISTORY
Jensen Alvarado Historic Ranch and Museum, located in Riverside off of the 60 Freeway and Rubidoux Blvd., is a 30-acre farm and home to the historic ranch built by Cornelius Jensen and his wife Mercedes Alvarado in 1870. This historic site affords visitors a peek into the past, depicting Southern California life as it was lived in the 1880’s.
Cornelius Jensen—a retired sea captain-turned businessman-turned rancher—moved to southern California to marry into the prominent Alvarado family. The Alvarados had lived in what is now California since the 1770s, and when Cornelius met friends of the family in Sacramento (where he was operating a store during the gold rush) he saw an opportunity to integrate into the local Californio, or Hispanic, society. Shortly after marrying Mercedes Alvarado in 1854, Cornelius became a prominent member of the community then known as La Placita de los Trujillos, or Agua Mansa just north of today’s Riverside. After a flood in the early 1860s washed the community away, Cornelius and his wife decided to move farther down river. After purchasing property from landowner Louis Rubidoux, Cornelius built the only non-adobe house in the area and moved his family to his new ranch in 1870.
For the next 100 years, members of the Jensen-Alvarado family farmed the land. In the late 1970s, Riverside County acquired the property from descendants and restored the decaying ranch buildings to their former glory. Today, visitors can tour the brick ranch house, outbuildings and large winery, which is now used as an interpretive center.