Actor, preservationist and conservationist, Leo Carrillo, (1880-1961) was born in Los Angeles. But his beginnings were in San Diego’s Old Town where his grandparents Josefa (Bandini) and Boston-educated Pedro Carrillo, were married, maintained their residence and raised a large family. As an entertainer Leo was highly successful, appearing in 15 major stage plays (several on Broadway) and more than 90 motion pictures in which he was featured in supporting or character roles. However, Leo’s greatest fame came from his portrayal of Pancho, the mischievous sidekick to Duncan Renaldo’s Cisco Kid in a pioneering television series of the early 1950s.
At the peak of his film career Leo felt an intense yearning to find a retreat where he could re-create an Old California-style working rancho, an important cultural asset he felt was rapidly disappearing. In 1937 he came across Los Kiotes in what is now southeast Carlsbad and which was once owned by the Kelly family, very large, long-standing landowners in the area. Leo quickly snapped up his first 840 acres and immediately began construction of 18 structures necessary for his ranch operation. In 1977 the city acquired a 10.5-acre remnant that contained and protected the most critical original buildings. Thanks to a grant some of the buildings were partially restored in 1992. Secluded in the heart of a magnificently landscaped 27-acre canyon, this historic park contains and protects romantic hand-crafted adobe buildings, antique windmills, a reflecting pool and many other historic structures where visitors can explore and experience California history. To find out more, click here.
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