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John Baptista Romo - seen above wearing the studded metal belt, and also at left 60 years later - was born October 8, 1876 at San Bernardo Creek, just south of Morro Bay.  He was a highly skilled vaquero, roping cattle for Hearst Ranch and others.  His early years were spent in the saddle, which gave him the deep tan he carried for the rest of his life.

Later in life, John became famous for appearing around town bedecked in medals and trinkets.  He loved it when people asked him about them, and said that the more questions he got, the more medals he wore.

John's story is important.  We want to keep telling John's tale, and all the other stories that add up to create the history of San Luis Obispo County.  But we need volunteers and dollars to store, preserve, catalogue, and share the photos, books, objects, and ephemera that are so vital for preserving our shared past.

We can't do it alone.
Will you help us?

When you donate, you aren't just giving to the nebulous concept of history.  We are an organization that does concrete things in the real world - things that cost money to accomplish.  We count on your support to pursue our mission of improving the understanding and appreciation of local history.

Here are just two examples:

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The Dallidet

The Dallidet Adobe & Gardens are a physical manifestation of the past, a slice of yesteryear still living and breathing today.

Maintaining the house and grounds is expensive, even with our phenomenal team of volunteers.  Plants need water, trees need trimming, paths need maintaining, and so much more.

And there are so many opportunities to do more!  There is a modern portion of the home that we hope to convert into a classroom for special programs.

If you choose to designate a portion of your donation for the Dallidet, you will be helping preserve a matchless piece of San Luis Obispo County history.

The Collection

Our collection has over 100,000 objects, each one critical to a portion of our county's shared story.

We pay to rent two offsite warehouses in order to house our collection.  Staff and volunteers work diligently to ensure that every object is inventoried, catalogued, and accessible for research.

In the last two years, we have spent over $18,000 upgrading one of our facilities to be a repository of county land records - we have original paper records dating back to the county's foundation.

If you chose to designate a portion of your donation for the Collection, you will be helping ensure our collection remains safe, organized, and responsibly growing.

If you would like to designate a portion of your donation to either the Collection or the Dallidet, you will be able to do so after you enter your personal information in the field below.  Thank you for your support!