Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Siskiyou County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Siskiyou County. Show all posts

Monday, April 3, 2017

Pioneer Photographer Preserves History.......by Gail L. Jenner


Louis Herman Heller, Pioneer Photographer, Preserves Local and Regional History

Although he was not as well known as many early, historic photographers, Louis Herman Heller was significant to early photography taken during the latter days of the gold rush in the "northern mines" of Northern California and Southern Oregon. He later became more important for his photographs taken during the Modoc War, the "last" Indian War in the West.

In our "neck of the woods," Heller was also important because his studio was located in Siskiyou County, and many of my husband's family were photographed by Heller. This is a photo of my husband's great grandmother, Mary "Muzzy" Wagner Jenner, c. 1886.
Louis Herman Heller emigrated from Germany in 1839 then moved from New York to California in 1862, after a brother died in the Civil War. A lithographer, he had assisted Julius Bien, a fellow German immigrant, in producing the chromolithographic edition of Audubon’s famous BOOK OF BIRDS. 

Heller settled in Yreka, California, where he set up a photographic studio in May 1863. The studio was located on Miner Street, one door west of the Yreka Brewery.

For several years, Heller traveled around the region, including Happy Camp, Rough and Ready (present-day Etna), Sawyer’s Bar, Callahan, and Fort Jones.  Heller traveled extensively, carrying his “gallery” all over the back country. Many of his studio prints remain as part of local family histories and a number of them have found their way into the local museums.  One massive chair, ornately carved, was often used in his studio portraits. In addition, Heller photographed the region’s emerging towns and communities, including  Black Bear Mine on the Salmon River, one of the region's most important and productive gold mines.

Heller is most noted for his photographs of the Modoc War, although he received only modest recognition because he sold his images to Carleton Watkins, who was credited for them when they appeared in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper.   

The terrain of the lava beds was so rough and hard to map that the military called in the Corps of Engineers to photograph the topography and make maps and sketches. Heller was called in to photograph and do the sketches. Heller was also the first one on the scene to photograph the captured Modoc warriors, although Eadweard Muybridge, a San Francisco photographer, came later and received greater recognition than Heller.

Louis Heller was once called "the indefatigable photographer of the Modoc War." Of the nearly 100 images that exist of the infamous Modoc War, a set of Keller’s original 24 stereographs are kept at the University of Oregon, and a number of his over-sized photographs of the Modoc warriors are held at the National Anthropological Archives. 
According to the Yreka Journal:

            “Louis Heller returned from lava bed last week, and is now busy finishing up some beautiful and accurate views of the country in that section, including pictures of Jack's cave, Scarfaced Charley's hole, groups of Warm Spring Indians (scouts), soldiers camps, Tule Lake, and the lava bed in sections and in full..." This photo shows Schonchin and Jack. "Captain Jack" (Kientpoos) was the leader of the Modocs; originally for peace, he was hung. Truly, the Modoc War was a tragic event for all.

Again, according to the news article, regarding Heller: "Mr. Heller intends getting a copyright for his [Modoc] views, which cannot be excelled for beauty, shade and artistic finish, he being one of the most accurate and ingenious photographers on this coast. When they are ready for sale, they will undoubtedly sell with a rush, as everyone wants to see what the lava bed looks like, and to form an idea of the hard place soldiers have been obliged to fight the Indians[Yreka Journal, May 14, 1873]. Heller’s photographs were then mass-produced at Watkins' Gallery in San Francisco where". . . 20 women and a number of  'Chinamen' (are) being kept constantly at work" (Yreka Journal, June 25, 1873).  The photographic postcards sold for $4 per dozen. Today these are important historic relics.

After the Modoc War of 1872-73, Heller returned to Scott Valley and his private studio. This photo of a young boy comes from Fort Jones, but there is no identification. Notice the elaborate "setting" or vignette Heller created for his subjects.

Heller continued to travel all over Siskiyou County and beyond, but he also served as a justice of the peace for the valley from 1878-79 and as postmaster for Fort Jones from 1894-98. A long-time bachelor, he eventually married Alice Daggett, the sister of John Daggett (owner of the Black Bear Mine who also served as CA lieutenant governor and Superintendent of the Mint in San Francisco).  Heller opened a pharmacy in Fort Jones, alongside his studio, nothing that he had been “a thorough druggist of many years experiences previous to locating in Fort Jones.”

To keep up with the times, he added several photographic services usually available only in metropolitan studios. One of these was the hand-painting of imperial-sized portraits.

Heller gave up photography in 1899, and in 1900, his home, studio, and private property, including his photographic equipment, were sold at public auction. His wife died before him and he spent his remaining years in the King’s Daughters’ Home in San Francisco, where he died in 1928.

The fact remains that Heller was the first to photograph the Modoc War, being the first to arrive at the lava beds with his camera, the first to publish Modoc imagery in a national publication, and the first to photograph the Modoc captives. In addition, he captured hundreds of family portraits that are an integral part of Siskiyou County and local history.

==========================================================
Gail L. Jenner is a multi-published author of historical fiction, 
published by Prairie Rose Publications, as well as regional and local history, including ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS, Winner of the WILLA Literary Award, from Women Writing the West.


For more, visit: www.gailjenner.com or https://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O.

Monday, September 5, 2016

Early Stage Routes in Northern California..... By Gail L. Jenner



            Once roads were established throughout northern California and southern Oregon, the growth of stage lines followed rapidly. Of course, most famous to readers today are the stage routes traveling west across the continental United States, as noted in this historic map of the region:




Mark Twain crossed the continent on the Central Overland California Route with his brother Orion Clemens and wrote about the staging companies and their “hierarchy” in his book, Roughing It.

He wrote: 

 “The stage company had everything under strict discipline and good system. Over each two hundred and fifty miles of road they placed an agent or superintendent, and invested him with great authority. His beat or jurisdiction of two hundred and fifty miles was called a “division.” He purchased horses, mules, harness, and food for men and beasts, and distributed these things among his stage stations, from time to time, according to his judgment of what each station needed. He erected station buildings and dug wells. He attended to the paying of the station keepers, hostlers, drivers and blacksmiths, and discharged them whenever he chose. He was a very, very great man in his “division”—kind of Grand Mogul, a Sultan of the Indies, in whose presence common men were modest of speech and manner, and in the glare of whose greatness even the dazzling stage-driver dwindled to a penny dip. There were about eight of these kings, all told, on the overland
route.”

            Twain continued his description of others within the staging company: “Next in rank and importance to the division-agent came the “conductor.” His beat was the same length as the agent’s—two hundred and fifty miles. He sat with the driver, and (when necessary) rode that fearful distance, night and day, without other rest or sleep than what he could get perched thus on top of the flying vehicle. Think of it! He had absolute charge of the mails, express matter, passengers and stagecoach, until he delivered them to the next conductor, and got his receipt for them.”
            For the most part, these stage roads were built with funds from private agencies and investors, not by the government. Eventually, state and local, even some federal money was used to supplement the cost of constructing and maintaining roads. Toll roads were often used as a way to recover the cost of establishing roadways.


The California-Oregon Stage Road. Photo Courtesy Oliver Johnson Collection.
            The California Stage Company had investment capital topping $1 million. It also boasted 750 horses, while their routes up and down California totaled 450 miles of roads. By 1865, the company had increased its stable to 1,250 horses, while the roads totaled 1,100 miles, including 400 miles of roads into Oregon and 100 miles into Nevada. Ambitious, the company’s president, James Birch, pursued and secured the mail delivery into Oregon; by 1860, most Oregonians were assured of daily mail service. The route moved north through Shasta County and on into Trinity County. Weaverville, the county seat, was an important stage and freight town (located on today’s Highway 299) positioned along the stagecoach road that extended to the east to Old Shasta at the edge of modern-day Redding. By 1852 it had 49 wooden buildings and a population of 1,200.
            Trinity Center was first settled in 1851 and became an important stage stop on the way to Yreka in the 1860s; the original town now lies beneath Trinity Lake (created in 1961). Beginning in 1853, the Carrville Inn served the northern end of Trinity Valley. It has often been referred to as the “the Queen of Stage Stops” on the California-Oregon Wagon and Stage Road. The first Inn was completed in 1867, but was expanded and remodeled over the years. Today it is still a 3-story, 9-bedroom inn.
            Other important and popular stage stops in the region included Lewiston Hotel and the Forest House at the base of Forest Mountain and the Ohio House, located on the way to Etna, in Scott Valley, and Cole’s Station, located near the Oregon border.
            In an October 1865 issue of the Sacramento Union, it was reported, “In staging enterprise, California has the ‘whip hand’ of the world.”
            Indeed, the opening of the Sacramento to Portland stage line in 1860 was an event of great significance. A contract to deliver mail, cost the government $90,000, but this insured a 7-day service from Sacramento to Portland from April 1 to December 1 and a 12-day service from December 2 to March 31. The cities connected by this service included Chico, Tehama, Red Bluff, Cottonwood, Shasta, French Gulch, Trinity Center, Callahan’s (Ranch), Scottsburg (Fort Jones), Yreka, Jacksonville, Canyonville, and Roseburg.
            Unfortunately, the California Stage Company lost the mail contract in 1865, resulting in its failure; the mail staging was taken over by the Oregon Stage Company. The company’s name was then changed to The California & Oregon Stage Company (or C&O Company), and it became the largest operation in the region until the railroad usurped the main lines of transportation in 1887.
            According to an 1885 report, “At present Siskiyou is dependent for its outside connections upon its stage lines, which are plentiful and the roads good and well maintained.  The line of the California and Oregon Railroad passing through the center of the county from south to north, will doubtless be completed in the near future, the recent purchase of the northern end of the line from Portland south by the same parties owning the line coming up from below justifying the hope that, now that the interest are one, connection cannot long be deferred; and the county's development, so seriously retarded in the past by its distance from supplies, will show at once that this was her one great need to put her in the from rank.”
            Although the railroad portended the end of the most major stage routes through California, staging companies in the northern regions still supplied passenger horse-drawn stages for many more years. Later, motor stages were used to connect the coastal, mountain, and valleys not served by the railroad.
            Some of the important local stage stops listed and described in the 1885 Siskiyou County Directory included the following:
BERRYVALE
A post and express town, situated thirty miles southeast of Yreka, on the Delta and Yreka stage route. It is also on the located line of the California and Oregon Railroad. It lies in the valley of the Sacramento, and is surrounded by a fertile agricultural country, from which it derives it principal support. Upper Soda Springs, near this place, is a health resort of some note. Berryvale has two hotels and one general store. Population about seventy-five.
Callahan featured the Baker Hotel as well as Callahan's Ranch Hotel.
CALLAHAN'S RANCH
A post, express and telegraph town, forty-three miles distant from Delta and forty-two miles south of Yreka. It is surrounded by quite a favorable mining district, as well as some good farming land. It has two good hotels, two general stores, a church, blacksmith shop, etc. It lies a little west of the proposed route of the California and Oregon Railroad, and has a population of one hundred and fifty. 

EDGEWOOD
A post office, about thirty-five miles north of Berryvale, on the line of the California and Oregon Stage Line, as well as the line of the proposed railroad. It is a farming community, and lies in the valley of the headwaters of the Sacramento.

ETNA MILLS
This place, one of the most enterprising and prosperous localities in the country, is situated in Scott Valley, on the river, thirty miles southwest of Yreka, and about thirteen miles south of Fort Jones. The town lies at the base of the Salmon Mountains, is surrounded by an agricultural country of exceeding fertility, which is well settled and cultivated. It is the headquarters of the miners of the southwestern part of the county and the distributing point for all the Salmon River freights. The town has a large general store, two blacksmith shops, two flouring mills, a hardware store, two livery stables, as well as other business establishments, all of which do a flourishing trade. Of its two hotels, the Etna, owned and conducted by Mr. Isaac L. Baker, is especially worthy of notice in the interest of the traveling public. The population of Etna Mills is about four hundred, and the town has post and express offices. 

FORT JONES
An important business center, situated eighteen miles southwest of Yreka, on the Scott River. It is one of the oldest settlements and was the chief point in the western part of the county in Siskiyou's early mining history, which, as to its mining character, it still retains fully one-half of the business interests, being sustained by this industry. The development of its fine agricultural surroundings have, however, within the past few years, elevated the farming interests into as much prominence as its mining. As a commercial point it is the headquarters for the trade of western and Northwestern Siskiyou and the eastern part of Del Norte County, Happy Camp in the latter county getting a considerable portion of its supplies and all of its express matter via Fort Jones. Fort Jones has complete postal, express and telegraphic facilities, it is healthily located and has a population of about four hundred and fifty.
WILLOW CREEK
A post office town, situated on the proposed route of the California and Oregon Railroad. It is a stage station on the Oregon stage line, and is rapidly developing into a town of importance.

YREKA
This city, the capital of Siskiyou County, is situated on the west bank of Yreka Creek, in the western part of Shasta Valley. It is 431 miles from San Francisco and 350 miles from Sacramento. The route of the California and Oregon Stage Line passes through Yreka, where the headquarters of the Company are located, and necessarily pays some considerable tribute to the business interests of the city. The town was settled in 1851, the precious dust found in many of the gulches and streams of Shasta Valley, attracting many of the argonauts of that day to this locality. The town consequently ranks as the oldest in northern California. In her business composition Yreka has and maintains her full proportion of trading, mercantile, mechanical and manufacturing interests, although in the last item her development is scarcely begun, as she possesses in the waters of Yreka Creek a power sufficient to drive almost an unlimited amount of machinery. Yreka has full postal, express and telegraphic communications, and numbers about 1,500 in population.



            On some of the shorter, easier stage routes—especially on a local level—only a two-horse team was required, but on longer, harder routes, four to six horses were needed. An article for the Daily Alta Californian in 1860 described the care given the stage horses: “…one cannot but admire the excellent conditions of the animals on the road, and the careful grooming they receive in the stables… They are all California horses… As each animal is put in his place, his bit is held by an attendant. When all is ready the driver sings out ‘let go,’ and away they rush with a bound, spurning the earth in wild plunges...”
            And, as the driver (also called a jehu or whip) jumped up to the seat and picked up the lines, he was told to “first drive around town to all the hotels to pick up your passengers. Then get the mail, and last of all, go to Wells Fargo. When you get out of town about a mile you can turn them loose. The Wells Fargo messenger will keep the time for you; you don’t have to worry about that, but get in on time. I love those horses, but their collars will fit others.” Many of the drivers were young; some became famous for the unique handling of their teams. The whips featured here were local ones, well known throughout Siskiyou County.
Local Siskiyou County Jehus ("Whips"). Photo Courtesy Betty Young Collection.
Although the stage was “given” thirty minutes past the arrival time, the contract required punctuality and if it was later than the thirty minutes, a fine of $50 was assessed by the government. The only two excuses for being later than thirty minutes were high water and/or forest fire. Otherwise, the mail was to arrive on time!

 ********************************************************
Gail L. Jenner has enjoyed working with Prairie Rose Publishing and her collection of stories published by PRP has grown since "joining the gang" in Dec. 2013 with the re-release of her WILLA Award-winning Across the Sweet Grass Hills


"Prettiest Little Horse Thief"  and "July's Bride" are two of her other favorites.....and then there are the boxed sets and anthologies!  For more about Gail, check out: www.gailjenner.com or http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O


Monday, June 6, 2016

A Little History About the Northern Mines and CA Gold Rush....... By Gail L. Jenner


California's "northern" gold rush, considered by some to be a second rush, covered a region that crossed from northern California into southern Oregon, and the area was far more rugged and isolated than the better-known Sierra Nevada "Mother Lode" country. Many disenchanted miners left the Mother Lode to travel north, which required men walking or packing into and through some tremendous mountainous terrain. These areas remained isolated for many years even after the first settlers moved in to populate the small communities that grew up along the wild rivers, such as the Sacramento, Salmon, Scott, Klamath, Smith, Rogue, and others. And, as in any rough region emerging during this time, mining settlements often boasted unusual names or attributes...

The Salmon River is a rugged river.

The popular Klamath River boasted placer gold along its entire stretch, and was well known for abundant nuggets and flakes. Orleans Bar was an area where many hydraulic operations were performed. The Klamath River runs from Klamath County in Oregon into Siskiyou County, California and stretches into both Del Norte and Humboldt Counties.

The Trinity River is the longest tributary of the Klamath River and was an excellent gold producing river.  Good placer deposits can still be located everywhere along the river. Gold producing tributaries of the the Trinity River included Coffee Creek, New River, Indian Creek, Willow Creek, Hayford Creek and the East Fork. 

The Smith River also had important placer gold deposits. On the South Fork of the Smith River, which had large scale dredging operations, is Coon Creek, and gold has been found in the cemented gravels of the creek and gravel bars. There were several dredging operations conducted on the South Fork of the Smith River and its tributaries.  

Shasta County was one of the northern counties to grow into a destination for the early argonauts after gold was discovered along Clear Creek in 1848 by Pierson B. Reading.  It has been suggested, however, that gold was found in Shasta County even earlier than 1848 by several Oregon miners who passed through the area on the way south. But then, as the rush drew Americans west, the miners arrived in droves and, by 1853, a local newspaper reported that there wasn’t a river, gulch, creek or ravine in northern California that had been left untouched by the miners. 


"Captain" Reading had actually been given a land grant by the Mexican government in 1843, and, interestingly, rather than driving the local Indian tribes out—as was typically done—Reading befriended them. But that would not be the end of conflict in the region, but just the beginning. On the other hand, many miners married Native American women and settled to build homes and start families. In the region of Happy Camp, many old families still residing there have their roots in the intermarriage of miners and tribeswomen.
                                              
As in most California locations, miners panned along the many creeks and rivers when they could, but they quickly added shovels and picks, rockers and/or long toms. Then, as surface gold deposits waned, and gold grew harder to find, they turned to other, harsher techniques, including hydraulic mining. Gold, in fact, became the most significant industry in Shasta County, as well as across northern California and southern Oregon, for fifty or more years. 


Typically mines were named for individuals or groups, or reflected the miners’ dream of a rich find; there were any number of Paradise Mines throughout the region. Others mines were named in honor of hometowns left behind, as in the Boston Mine or New York Mine. Names like Dead Horse or Dog Creek or Jump Off Joe were given to locations where some tragedy had occurred. Many of these names are still part of the local vernacular. A few mines were also named for women or lost lovers.

There were locations denoting cultures from around the world, too, as in China Gulch and China Creek. And, while there was tremendous prejudice and pressure to tax or limit access or interaction, there were thousands of Chinese and other ethnic groups that mined the area successfully. 



Kanaka, a designation given to many mines throughout the northern region, was actually the name given to native Hawaiians, many of whom had been brought over to work for John Sutter in Sacramento, but who emigrated north soon after gold was discovered. There were at least 13 known Kanaka mining camps, some tagged as Kanaka Bar, or Kanaka Flat, or Kanaka Creek. In Shasta, the camp was designated Kanaka Bar/Creek. It was a tributary to Clear Creek, where gold was discovered in the 1850s. Today, many descendants of the Kanaka still reside in the region.

Portuguese Flat was located near the upper Sacramento River, north of Dog Creek—a sign that visitors still pass on Interstate 5. Reportedly in 1856, two prospectors mined 125 dollars in gold in one day! Also, the diggings here had a reputation for being one of the roughest mining camps in the northern mines.

Many camps were even named for games of chance, as in Pair-a-dice (later to be renamed Paradise!). Whiskeytown, often called Whiskey, was located about ten miles northwest of Redding, California, on Whiskey Creek. Settled in 1849, it was first called Franklin City. By 1852, it had become Whiskey Creek and was listed as one of the nine principal mining locales in all of Shasta County. A post office was established in 1856, but was discontinued in 1864. In 1881, a post office was re-established, but under the names of Blair, Stella, and Schilling, until 1952 when the name was officially changed to Whiskeytown.

----------------------------

Monday, July 6, 2015

Five Generations Strong....Ranching is What We Do.... By Gail L. Jenner


Although I've briefly talked about the ranch, I thought I'd delve a little more into its history. Several people have mentioned they enjoy hearing about the ranch. So here's a little more on the Jenner Cattle Company, three generations working together today, representing 3 of the 5 original generations:

L-R: nephew Frank; "Great Papa" Jack (91); brother-in-law John; son Matt; hubby Doug; son Nick.
 The Jenner Cattle Company, Inc., is one of the oldest ranches in Scott Valley, Siskiyou County, California.  For those who think California is the land of beautiful people and beautiful beaches and sun year-round, they have not visited the most northern quadrant of the state! Forty miles from Oregon, we are a rural (very rural) mountain community. We are surrounded by the Klamath National Forest, the Trinity-Salmon Alps, and the Marble Mountain Wilderness Area. The "valley" is perhaps 30 miles long and 6 miles wide. Originally the land of the Shasta, it is still the home of one of the largest tribes in northern California. Neighboring tribes include the Karuk and Yurok (further to the coast).

The first contact with whites dates back to Hudson Bay Company's beaver trappers and early mountain men, circa 1928-30. Stephen Meek, brother to Joseph Meek, is "credited" with putting Scott Valley (then called Beaver Valley) "on the map."  Interestingly, Stephen Meek lived for a time on a part of our ranch, and Old Pop used to recall how the Meek would hang his beaver pelts on our barn to dry in the sun (that would have been in Meek's later years -- around 1900+)... today the beaver are few, but they remain -- rather fascinating to watch how quickly they can build a dam. Only trouble is that we often try to plant trees along the slough and they saw them down very quickly! LOL...

The Jenners' entry into the valley goes back to the days of the gold rush (more on that in a future blog <g>).....the gold rush here followed on the heels of the Sierra Mother Lode "rush," but actually produced as much, if not more gold. Gold was first noted in 1848, but it wasn't until 1850 that the rush north into the Trinity region and beyond took hold. Even today, few people realize that the "northern mines" were as rich as they were, and the gold rush here lasted into the 1900s.
The Wagner Saloon in Etna
Part of the family’s ranching operation has its roots in the Wagner Ranch, purchased by Ignace and Mary Ann (Lichtenthaler) Wagner, both of Alsace, France, in March of 1874 (March 17, 1874). Although Ignace first went to mine in the area of Placerville (then known as "Hangtown" in the Sierras), he soon moved north, with a little bit of gold, as did so many gold seekers. He was a hard-worker and began to look around at how he could make a living for his family; farming and ranching was very profitable in the early days and he had come from farming stock. Later, at least one of his sons ran the Wagner Saloon in Etna. 


Another branch of the family included the Kapplers, who founded the original Etna Brewery--which has been resurrected and has won many micro-brewery awards since its "re-creation" in 1990! The Kapplers were also from Germany, arriving again as part of the gold rush. Settling in Etna, the Kapplers established the brewery and built an ice house and were the first to bring electricity to the town in 1898. Prohibition forced the brewery to close, although the beer did win a Blue Ribbon at the San Francisco Exposition in 1915.

The original farmhouse on the Wagner Ranch was built in 1859, but Ignace soon built a new home on the flat, opposite the old structure. The painting below was done by A. Cedro and stretches a good 4-5 feet across; it shows the layout of the Wagner Ranch in its "heyday."

Note the "horse barn" (still a beautiful and historic barn, on the right....).
The Wagners raised prized horses, including some magnificent Percherons; one even won a Blue Ribbon at the 1915 Exposition. They also raised hogs and apples. Today we still butcher hogs in the same way as did the first Wagners and we smoke our hams, bacon, sausage in the "old smokehouse on the hill." 

Our oldest son - note the "scrapers" to the left of the hog - 150 years old.
We also press cider in the 150-year old family cider press, made from a variety of apples on the ranch (many of which were planted later by my husband while in high school). Both are annual traditions that we have passed on now to the sixth generation. In fact, each Christmas our gift to neighbors, family and friends includes some of our wonderful sausage. Everyone looks forward to the gift!

NOTE: if anyone's interested in the historic and fascinating history of processing pork -- I could do a blog with photos...?

The first Jenner to arrive in Scott Valley was E.P. Jenner, who emigrated from Sussex County, England, in 1849 (again, because of the gold rush!), then founded the Union Flour Mill c. 1864, outside the town of Rough and Ready, now called Etna. With gold miners needing food and supplies, it was E.P.’s nephew, Frank S. Jenner, who followed his uncle to the valley and established a ranch on land straddling the “Island” (land between Scott River and Patterson Creek/slough) in the early 1870s, where rich bottomland produces good feed for cattle. 
This is the view from our living room window.

Today we still raise cattle on these rich pastures and native grasses – which adds to the flavor and nutrition found in our beef. It is 100% All Natural, with no hormones, no antibiotics, and it has a strong reputation as prime and superior beef.
The Jenner family, operating in its fifth generation, is centered around Frank’s original Island property, in addition to the Wagner Ranch, but we have also added to the family’s holdings and cow herd in the years since my husband and his brother joined the business (40+ years). And in the last 15 years, our two sons and nephew have joined the family operation/corporation. But "Grandpa Jack" (now 91) still works a good 8-hour day!

Today we run 1000+ cows and we've moved from raising Hereford to Angus-cross cattle. We calve in the late fall but since we have FOUR seasons (yes, temps drop to well below zero in the winter and we get snow that often lasts for days or weeks). With the valley floor at 2800 feet and the mountains around us peaking at 9,000 feet, we are a beautiful, green, lush valley. It's no wonder that so many immigrants from Germany and Switzerland made this valley their home.
    
In addition, the Island ranch features a lush, natural slough, with roughly 50 acres of ponds and four reservoirs. The area is maintained as a natural preserve where waterfowl and other wildlife congregate year-round. 
In winter, the geese often "skate" along the frozen slough....
We limit hunting in order to protect both wildlife and cattle, so it’s not uncommon to see hundreds, if not thousands, of ducks, geese, herons, even pairs of eagles (both Bald and American Golden) and other bird life, as well as beaver and/or otters, etc. The diversity is amazing and there is rarely a day I don't look out and marvel at the beauty and the fertility of nature. We love our cows, and for those who have wondered, cattle AND wildlife do cohabitate incredibly well. Cattle are natural recyclers; they are also natural fire retardants and can convert otherwise dry material into a powerful food source (like the dry hillsides that ignite in California every summer -- a shame they are no longer used to keep the fire danger down). 

Now that we have the sixth generation coming on, it's been wonderful having our rich family history to pass on -- not only the stories, but the actual "material" culture of a family that has lived on the same land for almost 150 years! And now, even the Jenner "girls" have expanded the family's enterprise; we've created our own business, Jenner Family Beef, which offers beef locally and regionally.



Just this year, Jenner beef is being featured at the new and exclusive Clove & Hoof butcher shop and eatery in Oakland, CA......along with an endorsement by San Francisco's Slow Food group. By expanding what we do, we feel that we can provide for our growing family. With four generations at work now and the next coming on, we hope to maintain our family's rich heritage!

========================================================================
Gail L. Jenner is the wife of Doug Jenner. She considers
her life on the ranch to be almost a dream-come-true!
Keeping the history of five generations alive is another
reason she collects and records local history, in addition
to writing historical fiction....
For more, visit: www.gailjenner.com
OR: http://www.amazon.com/Gail-Fiorini-Jenner/e/B005GHR47O
OR: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Gail-L-Jenner/207027702703732?ref=hlhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Gail-L-Jenner/207027702703732?ref=hl
She is the author of the PRP release of her WILLA Award-winning novel, ACROSS THE SWEET GRASS HILLS. Her stories have also been included in the PRP anthologies, PRESENT FOR A COWBOY, LASSOING A BRIDE, and COWBOY KISSES. She has also coauthored 5 regional histories, and edited and contributed to ANKLE HIGH AND KNEE DEEP, an anthology of Western rural women's stories.

Monday, January 20, 2014

LIVING THE LIFE OF A RANCHER'S WIFE....HOW IT ALL STARTED...


Howdy! This marks my second blog and the first one on living the life of a rancher’s wife…

Marrying into a fourth generation cattle ranch was a jump of sizable proportion for this gal! I was not raised in a rural community, although I was raised in a family that had some roots in farming (on my mother's side). I met my bull riding cowboy husband while at college; it was a romance that, more than anything, could be described as a whirlwind affair. He is still a man of “few” words, but he was definitely a man of “fewer” words then! He was silent, rugged, rather serious, and I was intrigued.... I simply couldn't get him off my mind. What I didn’t know for many months, was that he was so tongue-tied and nervous after our first few dates, that he would return to his apartment and throw up…..yikes! 
Regardless, I threw caution to the wind as we moved quickly into a serious relationship. He asked me to marry him and I said yes, without hesitation. Forty-two years later, I'm still enamored.


            Coming “home” to the ranch -- after our wedding -- actually felt like coming home to me. It was an old farmhouse, the original family ranch house, and had been rented out for years so it was in pretty poor shape. In fact, in one 24 hour period that first year, we trapped 29 mice in our old pantry!


            The ranch was established in the early 1870s, but part of the family (on the maternal side) had established their ranch in the 1850s. My husband’s family immigrated from England (on one side) and Germany (on the other) during the gold rush, so his roots here in our valley go back to the original settlement period. This area is home to a number of tribes and the conflict in those early days was harsh; California miners were not kind to the tribes at all. Today the tribes are still an active and vital part of our community, but like all of America’s settlement history, there are scars that will never heal.



            Living in a northern California mountain valley, only 40 miles from Oregon, our seasons are short; elevation starts at 2800 feet.  As ranchers, however, that works to our benefit because this creates a higher nutrient content for the hay we produce each summer and feed out in winter. Many people do not understand that this climate (with four distinct seasons, including long cold and snowy winters -- though lacking this year) -- is not conducive to growing commercial crops, but is ideal for cattle and hay. 



In the summer our cows remain on the ranch grazing on our own pastures, many of which are native grass, having never been farmed at all. The cattle live their entire lives on this ranch. We used to assist our in-laws in taking cattle into the mountains on horseback (which I loved) to graze – a practice today sadly misunderstood. Cattle co-habitate with wildlife beautifully and these wonderful bovines have the ability to convert dry, fire-kindling matter into feed, protecting the forests and mountain regions from fire. Would that California encourage more grazing – perhaps some of the recent grass and forest fires could be reduced significantly. But that’s another issue!



Our ranch has a historic natural wildlife area, which we preserve, and have for over a hundred years. That means we have an abundance of waterfowl and bird and animal life that thrives here: ducks, geese, eagles (including bald eagles and golden eagles), heron, blackbirds, etc., along with mink, otters, fish, and even a few stubborn beaver! Another interesting fact that few understand is that we are not unique; more than 75% of migrating waterfowl, for instance, are protected by ranches and farms, not by public lands. The view from where I'm seated right now, in fact, looks out over several hundred Canadian geese, busily and happily "grazing" on the remnant of hay the guys scattered out earlier for the cows. Their frequent honking is music in the stillness of the frosty morning air.



Life here is idyllic in so many ways. It’s been an ideal place to raise children, and now 2 of our 3 children have returned to work the ranch, with children of their own. There is a tradeoff, of course; as I’ve told my two daughters-in-law: you will always have security, a great place to raise a family, and an unending supply of great food <g>, but if you’re looking to get rich or to take long extended vacations, this is not the life for you. Vacations are few and far between. I’ve likened ranching to being a MOM. Once you sign on, the job is almost 24/7 – or at least it feels like it much of the year. But, again, the rewards are worth the “sacrifice!” Just this year, all of the women of the ranch, including daughters who are not "on" the ranch (that is 7 women all together!), have started our own business, Jenner Family Beef. We have been asked so often over the years about purchasing our meat, that we have entered into marketing it. We do raise 100% natural Angus cross beef, with no hormones, no antibiotics, grass-fed, and are excited about the direction the business is headed. For those who may be interested, our new website is: www.jennerfamilybeef.com. We do ship all over...



I love this life of mine and thank God daily for the beautiful valley where we live and for having the space and opportunity to live alongside cattle, our horses, the mountains, the wildlife, and my rugged, hard-working cowboy husband! I hope to share a more about life on a cattle ranch in weeks to come…and if you have questions, please respond. I'll be happy to answer whatever I can. And if you want to know more about me, check my Author page out on Prairie Rose or www.gailjenner.com. And I'll see you in two weeks -- on the first Monday of February...

My husband on far left; one of our two sons, in the center, working calves...with over 900 calves each year, it's a job!