The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-07-06
A CALIFORNIA RANCH.
The Immense Landed Possessions Of
San Francisco Ffrm-6OO, 900 Acres IN
Pastures-Over 10000 HSfd of Cattle
and $4,000 Other stock Animals.

The Immense Landed Possessions Of a
San Francisco Firm-eOO,O 900 Acres IN
Pastures-Over 100 900 uSfd of Cattle
and "a, 200 Other stock Animals.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.I
To the generality of newspaper read
ers, and especially those of Eastern
cities where all real estate is estimated
by the foot, the published statements
regarding the extent of a California
ranch and the princely possessions Of
some of our large landholders appear
as the very height of exaggeration, and
the straining Of facts and figures far be-
yond their actual bounds. In some
cases the picture may have been tritle
overdrawn, and actual miles stretched
to leagues, but there is no disputing the
fact that here in California we have
tracts of land owned by private indi-
viduals which would put to blush the
far-famed possessions of the princes
and landed aristocrats of the Old World.
A few weeks ago a representative of the
Chronicle, by the courtesy of one of the
owners, was enabled to travel over and
inspect one of the largest ranches in the
State of California, and perhaps the
largest body of improved land owned
by any tive private individuals in the
world. The ranch or series of ranches
referred to belong to the firm of Lux &
Miller, the well known butchers and
stock dealers of San Francisco. These
men, who have accumulated the vast
property they now own by their indi-
vidual efforts, own land in twenty differ
ent counties of the State, and township
after township is recorded in their
name. The first piece of property of
the firm, outside of the slaughter
houses at Butchertown, is the ranch of
Mr.. Lux at San Bruno, a few miles
south of the city, and comprising some
thing like 1,600 acres. This ranch is
used as
THE RECEIVING DEPOT
for the immense droves of cattle that
come from the South. Here the tired
beeves are given few days to recruit
before being driven to slaughter. Along
the line of road to San Mateo, San Jose
and Gilroy, various small ranches Of q
few hundred acres or more are found
belonging to Lux Il Miller, and so To-
Gated as to form stopping-places for the
herds of cattle at the end of an eight or
ten hours drive. At Gilroy, three miles
below the city, is located the beautiful
" Bloomfield" Ranch, the private prop
erto of Henry Miller, and including
some of the finest bottom lands OF the
famous Santa Clara Valley. The area
of Bloomfield Ranch is 10000 acres, di-
vided into tillage and pasturage land,
and as model farm it is complete in
every respect. Here Mr.. Miller has
erected beautiful residence and laid
out grounds rivaling in beauty some OF
the famous places nearer the metropo-
lis. There are also buildings for the
stall-feeding of cattle, the storage Of
hay and grain, the manufacture and re-
pairing of farming tools and the hous-
ing of sheep and calves. The ranch is
stocked with the finest breeds of cattle,
horses, sheep and swine. Fields Of hay
and grain square miles in area arc to be
seen on every side, and the pasturage
on the surrounding hillsides undulsting
in the spring sunshine make up a scene
that can hardly be surpassed in beauty.
A foreman is in charge of the Bloom
field Ranch, and from 30 to $50 men,
including farm-hands, ordinary labor
ers, mechanics and vaqueros to care
for the stock kept constantly employed.
JUST ACROSS THE VALLEY
from Bloomfield is the Soaplake Ranch,
and south, that of Peachtree, making
$4,000 acres more, giving sum total
for the Santa Clara Valley, in the neigh
borhood of Gilroy, of $4,000 acres. This
body of land, however, is
but mere bagatelle when
with the ranch in the
great San Joaquin Valley, which is
reached by a thirty-mile drive over the
picturesque Pacheco Mountains and
through a pass of the same name. AT
the foot of the mountains on the San
JOAQUIN side is located the Santa Nilla
Rancho, with the two-stOry adobe build
ing which the Spaniards made their
headquarters when the plains were
and where they kept an out
look for the Indian marauders from a
hilltop. This rancho con-
tains 10000 acres, and is given up en-
tirely to grazing purposes, and furnish
es a vast amount of rich feed to the
bands of beef-cattle before they are
driven across the mountains to Soap
Lake and Bloomfield on their way to
San Bruno and the city. From Santa
Nilla through Los BanOs it is some six
teen miles to the so-called Canal Farm,
the western outpost of the immense val
lev owned by Lux Il Miller. At the
Canal Farm agricultural operations are
carried on in a manner surprising in
their extent and completeness. Here are
to be seen from 6 1000 to 10000 acres I'M
der irrigation, with miles upon miles OF
bitches and levees encOmpassing the
acres of waving grain and luxuriant
fields of alfalfa.
ONE FIELD OF VOLUNTEER BARLEY,
GOO acres in area and as level as floor,
was particularly beautiful sight. The
Canal Farm is a colony in itself, large
forces of men being employed in build
ing the bitches and levees, while others
are engaged in taking care of the crops
and herding the immense bands of cat
tie, horses and sheep which dot the
plains in every direction as far as the
eve Gall IcdCu. vi IllO Odl OOkiui
River, fifteen miles from the Canal
Farm, is located the old Spanish grant
of Santa Rita, most beautiful tract of
fertile land, $4,000 acres in extent, rum
ming up and down the river. Santa
Rita is the headquarters of the stock
men in the employ of Lux & Miller, and
here the vaquero is to be seen in all his
glory. The land intervening between
Santa Rita and the Canal Farm, dis
lance of sixteen miles, belongs to the
firm, and is part of the tract extending
from Hills ferry on the north to point
above Firebaugh's ferry on the south,
a distance of l25 miles along the river
bank, and comprising something like
100000 acres. 1t seems almost incred-
ible that one can travel for three days
on the lands of single firm, all under
fence, and stocked with cattle and
horses, yet such is the case. And this
is not all. Across the San Joaquin
River Lux & Miller own an immense
strip of land six miles wide and follow
ing the banks for nearly fifty miles.
miles from Firebaugh's
ferry to the easton the line of the rail