Joel McCrea’s former California ranch becomes a protected haven for wildlife and history

What began as Hollywood actor Joel McCrea’s private retreat has become protected open space on the northern edge of Thousand Oaks, California. McCrea bought the Santa Rosa Valley farmland in 1933, seeking a quiet working life away from movie sets.

McCrea and his wife, actress Frances Dee, built their home there and raised their three sons while operating a cattle and grain farm. The original property covered about 3,000 acres. As Ventura County urbanized, the family gradually sold portions of its holdings, helping establish some of the early land base of Thousand Oaks.

The family officially donated 74 acres for a protected wildlife sanctuary and helped arrange the public purchase of another 220 acres. The larger section includes the historic ranch buildings and remains protected from future suburban development through an agreement with the Conejo Recreation and Park District.

The 74-acre preserve contains rocky cliffs, deep canyons and groups of rare native plants. Sandstone bluffs provide nesting and resting areas for birds of prey, while a year-round water source supports wildlife. Access is strictly limited because the sanctuary protects stands of the rare Conejo rock plant, found almost entirely in this part of Ventura County.

The ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. National Park Service records list eight historic buildings, including a main house designed by John Byers in an early form of the simple California ranch style. The property’s conservation legacy now combines wildlife protection, historic preservation and public parkland.