EXPLORE SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO


Sitting beneath an olive tree gifted to his grandmother, Gertrude Riena Rios, Stephen Rios recalls memories of his childhood. A ninth-generation occupant of the Rios Adobe, his family’s roots run deep through San Juan Capist- rano—weaving their way through the city’s vibrant past.


As a commuter train rolls to a stop just


steps away, Stephen reminiscences of a time when San Juan wasn’t always a sched- uled stop for the north and southbound trains. On summer nights when Gertrude would accompany Stephen home to Santa Ana, she’d roll up a newspaper and light it ablaze. Conductors boomed horns while rounding the Horno Creek bend, signaling a message received—passengers awaited. Situated in the heart of San Juan, the


Rios family has lived in the adobe for more than 200 years—making it the longest-occupied dwelling in California’s oldest continually-inhabited neighbor- hood, the Los Rios Historic District. A walk down the district’s narrow,


tree-lined Los Rios Street offers a charm- ing glimpse into San Juan Capistrano’s earlier years. With each step revealing the neighborhood’s original adobe and cozy board-and-batten homes, the Los Rios Historic District is a historic symbol of this venerable community. Los Rios dates back to 1794 when


Spanish soldiers and members of the Acjachemen tribe, overseeing construc-


tion of Mission San Juan Capistrano, settled the neighborhood. At the time, 40 adobes were built to house workers and their families. Tree of those structures— the Montañez, Rios and Silvas—remain standing, serving as relics and remind- ers of San Juan Capistrano’s small-town, historic and cultural roots. Today, the neighborhood is home to


several businesses and residences where the 18th and 21st centuries collide into a dazzling mesh of historical preservation and contemporary niceties. As the birthplace of Orange County,


residents and leaders of this city steeped in history have gone great lengths to pre- serve the community’s distinctive char- acter and traditions while discovering unique ways to enhance the community and share it with residents and visitors. “It is always a struggle,” Rios says of


finding a balance between the past and present. It is a challenge the neighbor- hood’s residents, many of them district business owners, have tackled with a fiery passion to ensure the National Register of Historic Places-listed community is preserved for for generations to come. Like the roots of Gertrude Rios’ olive


tree—given as a seedling by Father St. John O’Sullivan, Mission San Juan Capistrano’s Great Restorer—the Los Rios Historic District’s past entwines San Juan’s colorful history with its sure-to- be-vibrant future. With every step a walk through time, each building holding gen- erations of folklore and wonder, the Los Rios Historic District’s secrets are waiting to be discovered.


Los Rios Landmarks << Lupe Combs House


This tiny structure, now home to a cafe, packs an immense history. Built in the late-1870s the wooden house served as C IGPGTCN UVQTG CPF RQUV QHƒEG QH &QP Juan Forster’s self-named town. Follow- ing Forster’s death in 1882, the town was disserted and many of its buildings moved. This novelty of a home was relocated to San Juan. Modesta Avila, and her mother resided in the home until Avila’s conviction for obstructing the railroad tracks. The JQOG DGCTU VJG PCOG QH 5CP ,WCPŦU ƒTUV constable John T. Combs.


George “Buddy” Forster House


The two-story, gingerbread-trimmed Victorian home was built in the late-1880s by Judge J.R. Thomas and his wife. In the 1930s, the house was inherited by George CPF 'XGN[P (QTUVGTţVJG ƒTUV MKPFGTICTVGP teacher at the Mission San Juan Capistra-


no-located Mission School. On the verge of being demolished in the late 1990s, the home was relocated to Los Rios by The Tea House on Los Rios owners Allan and Claudia Niccola. Today, it sits behind The Tea House and serves as the Niccola family home.


Ramos House


Patrons sipping scotch quail egg topped soju bloody Mary’s and dining on chef John Q. Humphrey’s southern-style comforts like JWGXQU TCPEJGTQU CPF CRRNG DGKIPGVU ƒNN The Ramos House Café’s old-world patio daily. Built in 1881 by the Aguilar Family, the home was a long-time residence of one of San Juan’s oldest families, the Ramos (COKN[ +P C EKV[ ƒNNGF YKVJ NQTG 4COQU House holds many tales. Vaqueros are rumored to have stowed away in a hideout beneath the main bedroom—now home to a wine cellar and music studio.


VISITSJC.COM SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS DIRECTORY & VISITOR GUIDE 15


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