Industry has an old rancho story hiding in plain sight

City of Industry is usually thought of as warehouses, business parks, truck routes, and jobs. That is true, but it is not the whole story. A strong old Los Angeles County history stop sits right inside the city.

The Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum is tied to William and Nicolasa Workman. They came from Taos to greater Los Angeles in 1841 using the Old Spanish Trail. The family became important on Rancho La Puente, east of Los Angeles.

The site tells a long family story with plenty of turns. The Workmans built a cattle and farm operation. Floods, drought, banking trouble, oil money, real estate hopes, and foreclosure all shaped what happened next. Walter and Laura Temple later built La Casa Nueva beside the older Workman House.

The place is an Old Spanish National Historic Trail certified site. The Workman House and El Campo Santo Cemetery have California historic landmark status. La Casa Nueva is on the National Register.

That is why Industry deserves a history stop alongside its business story. The city may look modern and industrial from the road. The Homestead gives readers a way to see the older rancho, trail, family, and architecture story underneath.