History & Legacy
In 1985, the Rancho Los Alamitos Foundation was created to partner with the City of Long Beach in preserving and sharing the rich history of Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch & Gardens. The Rancho is located on Gabrielino-Tongva land known as Povuu’ngna. The Foundation recognizes the profound value of Povuu’ngna as the sacred place of origin of the Indigenous people who stewarded this land for thousands of years before the disruption of Spanish colonization. Beginning with these Indigenous people, the land has nurtured a great diversity of people and cultures over its long history, from the Spanish and Mexican colonists to successive waves of settlers and entrepreneurs from all over the world. Today, the Rancho is a 7½-acre historic site within the City of Long Beach, one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the United States. The family of Fred H. and Florence G. Bixby transferred the Rancho to the City in 1968 in an effort to share this beautiful and complex place with the broadest possible community. From the time the site first opened to the public in 1970, admission has been free, ensuring cost is not a barrier. Since then, staff and volunteers have created various opportunities for public engagement. This includes free school field trips with transportation scholarships and programs for families and adults celebrating the site’s cultural diversity, developed in partnership with community members and scholars. Adopting a renewed mission in 2018 with a focus on learning and public engagement, the Rancho is committed to sharing the site’s authentic stories and cultural resources to inspire a sense of community, to understand the past from a variety of perspectives, and to inform sound decision-making about our shared future. The Rancho is dedicated not only to providing our visitors with a look into the past, but also to serving as a reflection of today’s community, internally in our governance and management and externally in the visitor experience and programming. Values The Rancho values diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion for all socio-economic backgrounds, ethnicities, genders, races, abilities, and levels of education. We value the strength, perspective, and adaptability that come with diversity, both in terms of staffing and audience, and also in terms of mission and programming. We believe the Rancho is an expression of our regional history as well as a platform for our future history. We recognize the power and privilege inherent in our position as a historic site in our community, and we understand our responsibility to be truthful and authentic with the narratives we share. We seek to approach the history of this land with honesty, courage, and inclusiveness. After all, the Rancho’s history is made up of stories of human diversity, challenges, ingenuity, resilience, and community. By sharing these stories widely and examining their impact, we can help our community thrive. The Rancho is not only an historical resource, but also an open green space for the benefit of all of Long Beach’s diverse residents and visitors. We believe that community health and wellbeing are interconnected with cultural resources and opportunities. As such, we believe it is imperative that the Rancho promote, reflect, and exemplify diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in all aspects of its operation. Commitments The Rancho is committed to being a contributing and relevant part of our community, our city, and our region. To further our dedication to supporting and modeling a diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive community, we are committed to the following actions:
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August 2021