RANCHO SANTA FE — On Aug. 7, the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society received approval from the Association board to install cast iron bells in several locations in the Ranch to commemorate the historic route of El Camino Real. The route is now 102 years old and the first bell was installed at Pueblo de Los Angeles, near Olvera Street, in downtown Los Angeles in 1906. The commemorative bells run throughout the state and their inclusion in Rancho Santa Fe will be the result of two years worth of work.

The commemorative bells were first proposed to the board in 2006, but the project stalled due to concerns about funding and insurance. Since that time, the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society has raised $13,500 from the community to fund the project and has also agreed to cover the cost of maintenance and insurance.

The mission bells, which are cast-iron and have a patina, will be hung from posts that have a “shepherds crook”-style hook. There will not be any plaques to commemorate the historic route, only bells, which will be placed at several locations in the Ranch on county right-of-way property along El Camino Real.

“The route is a great piece of our heritage,” John McCulley, vice president of the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society, said. “It’s part of who we are and what we stand for. These bells give us a chance to celebrate the history of the Ranch.”

The Rancho Santa Fe Planning Committee reviewed the proposal at its July 18 meeting and recommended the installation of the bells. Even though the funding and insurance issues have been resolved, board Director Steve Schillington was concerned whether homeowners near the proposed installations had been notified. “I don’t believe so,” McCulley said. In the end, the Association board approved the installation once McCulley, on behalf of the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society, agreed to notify the homeowners whose property is adjacent to the installation sites.

The bells will be installed in the next several weeks and a ceremony will be held at a time and place to be determined. Gordon Bartow, past five-year president of the Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society and now an advisor to the board, said, “This is a great way to celebrate the history. It’s been 100. Okay, 102!”