Simi Valley historian Patricia Havens, who was featured in the article, says it is believed the Spaniards did not settle in the region until after Now Havens, 61, is planning to write a history of the valley, chronicling its early days as a Chumash Indian settlement up through its present-day status as the home of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Havens said the last historical accounts of the valley were published in the early s, before Simi Valley became a city in The daughter of a ranch hand, Havens said her family watched the valley change from a rich farming and ranching community to a suburban homestead for ever-fleeing Angelenos.
The most significant changes, she said, occurred after World War II. As ground-water supplies dwindled and the cost of importing water skyrocketed, farmers soon realized that their land was worth more if sold for development.
It was inevitable. It happened in the San Fernando Valley, and it was going to happen here. Today, Simi Valley is the third-largest city in Ventura County with a population of ,, according to census figures. Although she is proud of the way the city has grown and changed over the years, Havens seems most impressed with the accomplishments of the early pioneers.
Over the years, his wife has dragged him to old Spanish missions up and down the state, searching out new information about Simi Valley. She recently discovered some documents at the San Fernando Mission confirming that one of the first Spanish settlers was living in Simi Valley in It is precisely this dedication that has earned Havens the respect of her peers and of city officials. There may be others qualified to write a history book, but I think she is the most qualified.
Mayor Greg Stratton agreed. After graduating from Whittier College in with a degree in history, Havens began teaching at Simi Valley Elementary School and would continue to do so off and on for the next 20 years.
