In 1974 , Burbank 's widow , Elizabeth Waters Burbank ( 1888-1977 ) , donated the remaining to the Sebastopol Area Housing Corporation for the purpose of erecting low-income , senior , and disabled housing units with the stipulation that the parcel containing the " Caretaker 's Cottage " ( that had been constructed a year or two after an older cottage on the property was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake ) , the barn , the potting shed ( destroyed by fire in the late 1960s ) and over 250 living specimens of Burbank 's work be set aside and left undisturbed as a historical and horticultural area , dedicated to Burbank , to be studied and enjoyed by future generations . Presently owned by the City of Sebastopol , it is administrated by the Western Sonoma County Historical Society and maintained entirely by volunteers
1906 earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Luther Burbank's Gold Ridge Experiment Farm