- The oldest known photo of the house – ca. 1920s.
Don Jose Francisco de Ortega was a captain and scout who traveled with the Portola expedition in 1769 through what is now California. His son Jose Maria Ortega Married Maria Francesca Lopez at the mission in San Diego June 13th 1779 and had a son named Jose Dolores de Ortega. Jose Married Maria Leyva in 1813 and had a daughter Maria de Pilar Ortega, who married a ship captain named Juan Francisco Noelle Smith. Their daughter Maria luisa Manuella married John Oscar Sweet on January 11th 1861 and settled in what was then known as the San Jose Valley, now know as Pozo, in the hills east of San Luis Obispo. They had a daughter named Sarah who married Victor Modesto Torres.
The Torres store
Sarah and Victor remained in Pozo, farming and running a small store/boarding house. In the early 1920’s, with the help of family and friends, they built a house made of concrete blocks. Using wooden forms, they poured the blocks on site. Sarah and Victor raised nine children, and were known for caring for many of their grandchildren. To this day Sarah is remembered by many in the valley as “Grandma Torres”, and there are many people who have fond memories of that house.
Sarah Torres and Fred Kelley
One of their daughters, Dora, married Fred Kelley and had seven children. Dora and Fred were tragically killed when their car was struck by a train in Santa Margarita in 1932 (look both ways when crossing the tracks on your way to Pozo!) The children were raised by several family members, but mostly by Grandma Torres in Pozo. One of the children was Clarence Kelley, who married Dorothy McNeil.
Students at the old Pozo schoolhouse (shown in our top banner). Dorthy (McNeil) Kelley far right.
Clarence Kelley
Their son Jon moved into the Pozo house in 1974. At that time the house was in much disrepair, but with a little help the old house was brought back to at least a livable condition. There is even running water and electricity! (the old outhouse is still standing out back). Jon Married Jennifer Hart, and Neil Kelley was born November 1st 1981.
If you have ever wondered why Neil is known as Walking Eagle, when you are driving out Pozo Road, look to your left just after you pass Las Pilitas Road. You will see a large cattle trough, that is where a large Golden Eagle was seen to land on the ground and walk up to the trough just as Neil was being brought home to Pozo the first day out of the hospital. – Jon Kelley
See more vintage photos of the house.
