History of the Reagan Ranch

Rancho del Cielo has a colorful history that can be traced back to Spanish settlers. The ranch was first named Rancho de los Picos after Jose Jesus Pico who moved north from Mexico, and worked at various ranches in the area before establishing his homestead at the ranch site. There he built the original adobe house in 1871. He used the land to grow beans, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and watermelons, as well as several acres of grapes that produced 900 gallons of wine each year. Pico also raised hogs, chickens, cattle and horses on the ranch.

One of Jose Pico' sons, Edward, recalls that during his childhood that part of the country was infested with bandits and outlaws. A famous bandit named Joaquin Murietta was reputed to pass through the area, rob the settlers, and cut their throats. Edward Pico recalls once digging up six silver dollars and a skeleton buried under an old oak tree.

The Pico family owned the property until 1941, when another of Jose Pico' sons, Joe, who suffered financial troubles during the Great Depression, sold the ranch to Frank Flournoy for $6,000. Flournoy, a surveyor for Santa Barbara county, named the property Tip Top Ranch. In 1955, Roy and Rosalie Cornelius bought the ranch and purchased additional land to add to the property. They used the ranch mainly for grazing cattle.

The Reagans bought the ranch in 1974 when Reagan's second term as governor of California was coming to an end. He was alerted to the site by his friend William Wilson, who later served as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. The November 19, 1974, Reagan deed to the ranch reports the ranch size as 677-688 acres and the purchase price as $527,000.