Ignacy Jan Paderewski visited Paso Robles on many occasions between the years 1914 and 1939. He stayed at the El Paso Hotel (now the Paso Robles Inn), and cured his ailmentss in the hot springs. In February of 1914, he began buying land on Paso’s West Side and, within a few years, his Rancho San Ignacio and Rancho Santa Helena covered 2,864 acres. Paderewski’s farming methods and keen interest in winemaking transformed Central Coast agriculture, as he was one of the pioneers in planting Zinfandel. Wishing to enlarge his holdings and hoping to find oil, Paderewski also bought 2,626 acres of ranchland near Santa Maria in September 1917. Although several geological explorations and test drillings were carried out, oil was never discovered on his Santa Maria property, and the land was eventually sold in November 1933.
To commemorate Paderewski’s association with the area, the Paderewski Festival was launched in Paso Robles in 1993. Featuring a variety of artists, annual concerts proved a resounding success with local citizens. Tours of vineyards, wine tasting and presentations of Polish culture and history were held in a variety of venues around town. The death of one of the Paderewski Festival organizers and a destructive earthquake in 2003
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