It's not often that you find a hidden treasure like the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum that can transport you through one hundred years of Southern California history in just an hour.

But through the year, that is exactly what visitors do as they travel from the days of the ranchos to the Roaring Twenties. The Homestead Museum, owned by the City of Industry and managed by Historical Resources Incorporated, includes two historic homes, a private cemetery, public gallery, and lush gardens. It was once part of the 49,000-acre Rancho la Puente whose present day boundaries extend slightly beyond the 10, 60, 605, and 57 freeways.

The history of the sight begins with William and Nicolasa Workman who emigrated to the area from Taos, New Mexico, in 1841. Workman and his friend John Rowland led one of the first groups of settlers to the area traveling overland by mule. Once they were granted a piece of land, they quickly established themselves as cattle ranchers. When a series of floods and droughts in the 1860s put an end to cattle ranching in California, Workman began growing wheat and grapes for wine production. With the wealth he acquired, he remodeled his modest adobe home into a Victorian-era home. Unfortunately, economic hardship after a failed bank investment led to foreclosure of the rancho in 1899.

La Casa Nueva, a 1920s Spanish style mansion filled with architectural crafts ranging from decorative tile to stained glass, was built by the Workmans' grandson Walter P. Temple and his wife Laura after the family made a profitable oil discovery on their property in the Montebello hills. During the 1920s Walter Temple was involved in numerous business endeavors ranging from real estate development in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley to participating in the walnut industry in La Puente. In 1923 he founded the Town of Temple, known today as Temple City. Like the Workmans, the family lost their wealth through failed investments and were also forced to let go of the property. Following their departure, the grounds were utilized as a boys military school and convalescent hospital before the City of Industry purchased the property and began efforts to restore the grounds in 1963. The museum opened to the public in May of 1981. Aside from touring the homes, visitors can stroll through El Campo Santo, the family's historical burial ground founded in the 1850s which holds the remains of numerous pioneer families. The Walter P. Temple Memorial Mausoleum, completed circa 1920, contains many Workman and Temple family members along with Pio Pico, the last governor of Mexican California and a friend of William Workman.

Brochures for self-guided tours of the cemetery are available in the Pio Pico Gallery where information on the museum's upcoming special events can also be obtained. Museum facilities can be rented on a limited basis throughout the year for meetings, receptions, and photography. Additionally, the site includes a picturesque gazebo and lily pond.

The Homestead Museum is located at 15415 East Don Julian Road in the City of Industry just one mile north of the 60 freeway at the Hacienda Boulevard exit.

Free tours of the homes are offered throughout the week. Groups of ten or more must make reservations at least one week in advance. Tours are available in Spanish and sign language with 72 hours notice. Most of the site is wheelchair accessible.

For more information, please call (626) 968-8492 or visit our website at: www.homesteadmuseum.org.