Difficult Economic Times Aren't New.

Difficult economic times aren't new to the Conejo Valley. If you are disappointed that your home isn't worth as much as it use to be or worse yet, you can't afford to keep your real estate investment because of a difficult economic situation; don't feel alone. Many people, including some of our earliest settlers, have gone through the same ordeal.

According to the book, " The Newbury's of Newbury Park" by Miriam Spankling and Ruthann Begun; the Mills, Edwards and Newbury Families were some of the first investors in the Conejo Valley. In the early 1870's,they bought 22,240 acres, 20,790 acres and 3,259 acres respectively. All of them were very excited about the awesome possibilities in the area and marveled at the beauty around them. They all had big dreams.

In 1873, Egbert Newbury moved 1,600 sheep from Santa Barbara to the Conejo and moved his family from Santa Barbara a year later. In that same year, the stage coach line switched from Simi to the Conejo creating the need for a post office. Newbury applied to the federal government and the Newbury Park Post Office was opened on July 16, 1875. Newbury's land is what is now near Old Town Thousand Oaks. It went from Hodencamp to Duesenberg and from Falmouth Street to the ridge between Thousand Oaks and Hidden Valley. Newbury's home and post office were located about where the Thousand Oaks Civic Center is today.

1876 appears to have been a year of optimism. A school was built on 2 acres of land Mills donated. There were 72 adults and 54 children living in the valley. In May, James Hammell announced that a large hotel was to be built near the western end of the Conejo Valley. He expected the Coast Line Stagecoach to supply customers for his enterprise. Construction began.

Like today, change can come quickly. Even before the hotel was completed, the stagecoach line switched from the Conejo Valley to Newhall due to the newly completed Southern Pacific Rail line. 1876 was also the first year of a three year drought. Six inches of rain fell between 1876 and 1878 devastating the ranchers in the area. Mills was forced to leave the valley, the Newbury's packed up and moved in with family in Michigan in 1877 and James Hammell filed bankruptcy and lost the Grand Union Hotel and his land.

Although the Newbury's left town, the name of the post office stayed. The location of the post office changed many times and finally got a permanent home on Newbury Road in 1968.