Chain of Ownership, Pre-Period of Significance:

Originally, the land belonged to the Chumash, and according to an interview with Robert Pfeiler several Chumash artifacts, such as steatite bowls, have been found on the property. 

Second, after the Chumash people moved or were forced out with the construction of the Mission San Buenaventura, the new “Rancho El Río de Santa Clara o La Colonia” was granted in 1837 by Alta California Governor Juan B. Alvarado to eight Mexican Soldiers from the Santa Barbara Presidio (Valentine Cota, Salvador Valenzuela, Vicente Pico, Rafael Valdez, Vincent Feliz, Leandro Gonzales, and Rafael Gonzales). Specifically, Rafael Gonzalez—a former mission administrator and later the alcalde of Santa Barbera—was the owner of the site, which was his portion of the 44,883-acre Mexican land grant—he used the land for cattle. 

Third, Juan Camarillo, a member of the Hijar (1834) expedition, acquired the land from Rafael Gonzalez in 1865, which he never settled on. 

Chain of Ownership, Period of Significance:

In 1867, German immigrants Gottfried Maulhardt and Casper Borchard arrived with their families and soon after leased the land from Juan Camarillo. They began farming it after having escaped the Prussian war, sailed to America (on multiple voyages, including one to the Isthmus of Panama), pursued the already-over gold rush, and traveled south to what became the Oxnard plain. 

Fourth, Gottfried Maulhardt acquired the then 410-acre site as his portion of a joint purchase of 1,230.31-acres by Johannes Borchard, Jacob Maulhardt, and himself from Juan Camarillo on December 26, 1872. By 1875 Gottfried Maulhardt had begun selling portions of the property and by 1887, he had sold all but just over 30-acres of the site. In 1875, Gottfried Maulhardt sold ~205-acres to Casper Borchard. In 1887, Hiram K. Snow purchased 171-acres from Gottfried for $17,141—though Gottfried did retain the road leading to the Santa Clara Parish Chapel. Fifth, Sophie Maulhardt continued to own the land upon her husband Gottfried’s passing in December 1898 and kept it until she sold it in 1905. 

Chain of Ownership, Post-Period of Significance:

Sixth, in 1905, Louis Pfeiler—an 1866 immigrant from Austria/Hungary, who had eventually moved to the Port Hueneme area and taken up farming in the early 1870s—purchased the 30-acre site as a wedding gift for his son Albert Pfeiler (seventh). Albert farmed and maintained the property until, following tradition, he gifted the property to his son Robert “Bob” Pfeiler (eighth) for his wedding on December 5, 1937. Bob Pfeiler farmed and maintained the property until his death in 2002. Nineth, With the death of Bob Pfeiler, the Pfeiler family sold the 46-acre ranch to John Laing Homes for development. 

Tenth, after discussions with Jeffrey Maulhardt, John Laing Homes deeded 0.86-acres (the existing property), to the City of Oxnard. In 2007, the City of Oxnard began leasing the site to the Oxnard Historic Farm Park Foundation. 

Eleventh, on January 6th, 2022, the Oxnard Historic Farm Park Foundation purchased the site from the City of Oxnard. 

Today, the site (Ventura County Landmark No. 165 – Gottfried Maulhardt/Albert Pfeiler Farm Site) is known as the Oxnard Historic Farm Park, which is owned and operated by the Oxnard Historic Farm Park Foundation whose purpose is to restore and preserve the two oldest remaining structures on the Oxnard Plain dating back to the 1870s, as well as creating displays for vintage farm equipment, growing garden plots of crops from the past, and creating a home for Oxnard History where the community can gather for public and private events.