Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1913-01-10
PENN.ORE. RANCH
BOUGHT BY LEONARD CO.

the Leonard Orchards.
When Mr.. Leonard came into this
field and commenced the develop
ment of his big ranching scheme he
purchased outright the Moses and
Heath ranches of between 800 and
400 acres on the south side of the
Rogue below Grants Pass, where he
instituted large plans for its devel-
opment, and later took the option on
the Penn-Oregon ranch, comprising
1900 acres, his option including a
lease of the farm during the season.
Mr.. Leonard's plan was to give the
ranch thorough test during the
year, and If it came up to his expec-
tations, TO complete the purchase
later, and two days before the op-
ton expired he put up the purchase
price and took over the property, the
deal being closed through the Riggs,
Lucas Co. of this city.
The test to which the Penn-Ore-
gon farm was submitted was exhaus-
tive and convincing T. L. Hill was
put in charge as manager, and A.
P. Stover, formerly with the agricul-
tural department at Washington,
was employed to make a complete
soil survey of the property. Messrs.
Whistler and Stubblefield, formerly
employed in government irrigation
investigations, were engaged to re-
port upon the irrigation possibilities,
and their study of the farm and it's
water supply has been especially
thorough.
The summers study of these ex-
perts has borne out all the claims
that have been made for the Penn
Oregon, and when taken in conjunc-
ton with the manner in which the
crops have responded during the sea-
son, they have proved to Mr.. Leon
ard and his associates that the Penn
Oregon was the best large body of
land in southern Oregon.
The nucleus of what has now come
to be known as the Penn-Oregon
ranch was the old Moore farm of
49S acres which was filed upon or
purchased by Jacob Moore, who held
it till 1898, when it was sold to H.
B. Miller, United States consul to
China, whose brother, Frank Miller,
present railroad commissioner of the
state of Oregon, was associated with
him in its management. The Millers
purchased and incorporated with the
original property the Denise and the
Sugar Pine farms, increasing the
holdings to 500 acres. j. G.. Riggs
purchased the ranch from the Mil
lers, and by adding the Swayne and
the McAllister farms, made the acre
age 1900.
The name Penn-Oregon came to
the ranch when it was purchased by
Pennsylvania people, who intended
to make a big stock company for its
management, but who later turned it
back to Mr.. Riggs, from whose pos
session it has now gone to that of
Mr.. Leonard
Eight hundred of the 1900 acres
of the farm are Rogue and Apple
gate river bottom lands, among the
choicest in the valley, the balance
being the red bench land.
Manager Hill announces that the
farm will be developed especially as
dairy farm, and an extensive dairy
herd will be built up, and a cream
cry erected upon the ranch. A large
part of the bottom lands will be
planted to alfalfa and clover, and
grain enough for home use will be
grown. 1t is proposed, however, to
keep sufficient stock to consume the
bulk of the product of the farm, con-
verting It all into dairy products,
pork and beef.
This property will be run in con
junction with Mr.. Leonard's other
holdings on the Rogue. LOO acres
in all, to be known as the Leonard
Orchards At the home ranch, now
known as Hillsdale, and comprising
the Moses and Heath farms, so acres
of apples are being planted out. AMI
the hop yard is being increased BY
twenty acres. Extensive develop
ments are now being planned for the
coming season. and many thousands
OF dollars will be put into the prop
erty to bring it to its highest point Of
production