OUR HISTORY
Discover the rich history of Los Olivos, a charming town known for its tree-lined streets, lush gardens, and beautifully preserved architecture.
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Los Olivos traces its roots back to 1861 when the Overland Coast Line Stage Station was established in nearby Ballard, serving as a key stop on the stagecoach route between San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego. The arrival of the Pacific Coast Railway in 1887 sparked a land auction that led to the founding of the town, named after a local ranch once home to 5,000 olive trees.
Today, visitors can admire the town’s Victorian-era architecture, with many historic buildings and residences dating back more than a century. Stroll through Los Olivos and experience a piece of California’s past, where history and small-town charm come together.
1. Fess Parker’s Wine Country Inn & Spa –
2860 Grand Ave. The location of the Lige
Campbell Livery Stable (c1910). Lige used a
mud wagon stage to carry mail and
passengers until 1914.​
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2. Whitcher/Sahm Home and Dairy
Site (1890) – PRIVATE RESIDENCE. Built by
Frank Whitcher, the dairy was in continuous
use until 1964. An artesian well was located
on the creek and furnished water for the
dairy and Chinese laundry. The “Main
House” at Midland School is the original red
farmhouse built for Sahm Dairy, where Paul
and Louise Squibb (founders of Midland
School) lived in an upstairs bedroom.
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3. Santa Ynez Valley Grange #644 – 2374
Alamo Pintado Ave. Originally chartered in
c.1930 and built in 1947 on land donated by
the Vernor Family, who lived next door. It is
a hub of the community.
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4. Building – 2366 Alamo Pintado Ave.
Schneider residence, built in 1908. Will
Schneider was a baggage mail clerk and
stood 7′ tall.
5. Bar Le Côte – 2375 Alamo Pintado Ave. Milburn Sides tore down the
original building on the site and rebuilt this two-story in 1914. The
upper floor was used for social gatherings, and the ground floor
was used primarily as a hardware store (and shoe store) until
1976.
6. Wilgress/Timmer Residence (c1900) – PRIVATE RESIDENCE.
7. J. Woeste in Los Olivos – 2356 Alamo Pintado Ave. Formerly the
DeVaul home (c1900).
8. The Brady Group – Rancho de Los Olivos – 2900 Nojoqui Ave.
Originally the Boyd House (c1885) it was built on land (which
became Los Olivos Ranch) on Alamo Pintado near Ballard. Aden
Boyd planted approx. 5,000 olive trees. The name of Los Olivos was
chosen because of this olive ranch. The house was cut in two and
moved to its present location on Nov. 18, 1991. Balloon-walled
construction.
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9. Berean Baptist Church – 2293 Alamo Pintado Ave. The Christian
Church was built in 1894, and was the first Protestant church in the
valley. Originally men and women entered through separate
doors – and sat accordingly. In 1961, the front porch was enclosed
and cement steps were added. In 1957, the Christian Church
became the Berean Baptist Church. (SB CO Landmark #26)
10. Mattei’s Tavern Historic Cabins – 2329 Jonata Ave. The
Keenan/Hartley House (c1882) was moved in 1997 from Gaviota
Street, where it was originally built on homesteading land, to its
present location and is the first home built in Los Olivos. The
exterior walls are constructed from redwood, the roof is tin, and
the porch is original, as are the interior floors. The walls are
balloon-walled. (SB CO Landmark #30)
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11. The Inn at Mattei’s Tavern – 2350 Railway Ave. Established (1886)
by Felix Mattei and his wife Lucy, Mattei’s was originally called the
Central Hotel. The RR terminal was directly across, so passengers
only had to walk a short distance to find food and shelter while
waiting for the morning stagecoach ride to Santa Barbara. After
the Los Olivos Hotel burned down, Mattei changed his hotel name
to Hotel Los Olivos, but it soon settled to Mattei’s Tavern.
(Stagecoach Marker #53)
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12. Hwy 154 – Grand Ave & 154. Site of Pacific Coast southern terminus:
warehouse, depot, 2-stall engine house, turn-table, and water
tanks (1887-1934). Hwy 154 follows the railroad bed. November 16,
1887, the first train bunting draped engine arrived in Los Olivos.
Passengers boarded the Coast Line Stage here or rode the train
to San Luis Obispo. The right-of-way is still visible to the west.
13. Refugio Ranch Vineyards – 2990 Grand Ave. Formerly the
warehouse for Pinal-Dome Refining Co. (c1912).
14. Saarloos & Sons Wine – 2971 Grand Ave. Home of D. D. Davis
(c1905).
15. Terre et Sang – 2982 Grand Ave. (c1894) private residence to
several families including Mr. Fordyce, a fireman for the Pacific
Coast RR. In December, 1925, Charles Waugh installed the curbs in
Los Olivos.
16. Berean Church Manse – PRIVATE RESIDENCE. Site of Berean Church
Manse (c1900). The home contains 10-ft ceilings.
17. Carhartt Family Wines – 2939 Grand Ave. Built by Frank Tunnell
(c1900).
18. Four Brothers and Global Eye Art Collective – 2935 Grand Ave.
Formerly D.D. Davis’s Warehouse & Welding Shop (c1910). The front
exterior is covered in vintage, pressed-tin.
19. Jones Land Use; Gallery Los Olivos; Wildflower Women – 2920
Grand Ave. Site of Harvey Stonebarger’s foundry and shop (1906)
under the oak tree. Harvey assembled the town’s first water
system and in 1918 erected the present flagpole.
Christian Church. 1974
Mattei’s Tavern (Stagecoach Marker #53)
D. D. Davis General Store
Will Downs Store
Los Olivos in 1861
Los Olivos Flagpole
Los Olivos Flagpole
20. Taste of Sta. Rita Hills – 2923 Grand Ave. Site of residence (1888),
became D.D. Davis General Store (1890). The Valley’s first theater,
“The Liberty” opened there (c1916), with seating for 100. The first
movie shown was “Lilac Time.” The General Store was torn down
and material used to construct the present building (c1940) and
became the Bucket o’ Blood Saloon (1944).
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21. Los Olivos Tasting Room & Wine Shop – 2905 Grand Ave. Formerly
Uncle Tom’s (c1894) Constructed by Frank Tunnell, “Uncle Tom”
Davis ran a small grocery and men’s furnishing store here until
1935. It was used as a post office with combination lock boxes
outside.
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22. Los Olivos General Store – 2900 Grand Ave. Formerly Rice
Brothers Los Olivos Garage (c1903). Constructed by Claude and
Frank Rice, it was the first Ford Agency in the Valley, and pumped
Cart-Red gas out of barrels into 5-gal cans. It was used as
Goober’s garage during the filming of Return to Mayberry in Los
Olivos.
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23. Los Olivos Flag Pole – Intersection of Grand Ave. and Alamo
Pintado Ave. Original flag pole (1888) stood east of the present
location. The Present pole was erected in 1918 as tribute to WWI
Veterans. The original base was a thirty-gallon “Schilling’s Best”
coffee can. Lights were installed in 1926. The flag is lowered to
half mast on the death of a Los Olivos resident. Photo Left:
“Schilling’s Best” flagpole anchor. Photo courtesy Rita Lunde
Media.
24. Water Tower – 2902 San Marcos Ave. One of the first residences
in Los Olivos (c1880), the building was converted to CHC in 2005.
The water tower was brought to the site and rebuilt in 2007 using
the original exterior wood siding and water tank. The tank is
marked “Pacific Coast Coal Co. Los Olivos, CA.”
25. Samsara Wine Co. and The Other Room – 2446 Alamo
Pintado Ave. Original home built approximately 1910 and
converted to its current use in 2014. Community Craft is in a new
addition. The Water Tower is possibly turn of the century and was
relocated from the rear yard to its current location and rebuilt
using mostly original exterior wood siding.
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26. Solminer Wine – 2890 Grand Ave. Site
of building owned by Lew Hartman (1889), Will and Etelka “Telk”
(Davis) Downs ran a general store and barber shop from 1909-
1970. The post office and library were also here for some
time. The original 2-story building burned down in 1938 and was
rebuilt.
27. Coquelicot Estate Wines – 2884 Grand Ave. Built by John J. “Jake”
McGuire (c1920) for storage and horse shoeing. John lived in a
small detached home in the rear, where he died in 1923 a day
after dynamite exploded under his bed. Although he implicated
some residents before he passed, no one was ever convicted.