Las Cruces Adobe was likely built by Jose Antonio Cordero between 1846 and 1857 and was enlarged and remodeled in 1861 as a stage station for travelers on the new wagon road linking Los Angeles with San Luis Obispo. As the settlement of Las Cruces grew, the adobe passed through different owners and uses, serving as a post office, polling place, inn, and family dwelling, while rumors also held that it had once been a brothel and whiskey emporium. Railroad expansion in the late 19th century and the closure of the stage line in 1901 led to the community’s decline, and by the 1930s the abandoned adobe had significantly deteriorated. The area was also home to the Coastal Chumash, who lived here for more than 2,000 years, using chipped stone projectile points, stone beads, and tools made from antlers, stones, and other natural materials, and they remained in the region from the time of the building of the Great Wall of China, through the height of the Mayan civilization, until they encountered Spanish explorers in the 18th century.