Volume 031-2 - April 1977 (6 pages)

Ranching As mining disappeared from the area more and more Ranching developed. In 1858 County statistics show there were 271 ranches in Nevada County. Ninty-nine of these were in Rough and Ready Township. It was the most productive farming portion of the county. This seems to justify the Chamber of Commerce claim to being the Banana Belt of the Sierras. Many a disappointed miner had discarded his pick and shovel for the spade and plow. The fertile valleys were settled and the business of raising food for the hordes of hungry miners became a very profitable one. Improvements on ranches in Rough and Ready reached $114,700. A statement made in 1858 by Thompson and West about ranching here was “Plenty of water and a good clear atmosphere unite to give the mountain fruit a flavor that the sun parched valleys cannot produce’. Another equally true comment was that “most of the ranchers keep cattle and make a great deal of butter, mountain butter having a firmness and flavor wanting in the valley product’’. The development of the Montgomery Ranch at Penn Valley in Rough and Ready Township is one of the proofs of these comments. Under the ownership of John and Ferdinand Montgomery, who settled there in 1850, the Ranch had become a showplace. When the Dikemans, Simon and Maria, took over part of it in 1878 they added a Creamery. The Creamery was leased to Debbia Dobbins who knew about milk, cream, even the famous Cornish Scalded Cream, butter and cheese. In 1912 that Creamery won recognition in The Great West Magazine as one of the best in California. There were three in Nevada County at that time. Other ranches of note at that time were the George Beck and Charles Colling Ranches on Deer Creek which were noted for their peaches, the Ed Walters Ranch which supplied the entire area with fresh vegetables well into the 1900’s, and a great many Cattle ranches. The cattle ranches began in the lower elevations and Nevada County ranchers, Swan and Gus Segerstrand, J.H. Nile, Fred Horton, W.B. Church, Dart, Wm. Eddy, Alderman, Robinson, Ennor, Martel, Morrison, and numerous others. Contributions of Pioneer Families The Frank Ranch provides an excellent picture of the change from mining to ranching. It also provides the story of Maria Felicia. Among the early day families that left their mark on Rough and Ready and even Nevada County was the Frank family. The family has passed the Century mark in living and working the land that their grandfather John Francisco purchased, as a partner in the Portuguese Mining Company, in 1867. John arrived in Rough and Ready early in the 1860’s. His native land was Fayalin the Azores. How he got from the Azores to San Francisco and how he came from San Francisco to Rough and Ready 2. Agriculture in Rough & Ready turned out to be the main source of income instead of gold and gave its citizens a constant and reliable income to survive generation to generation. Here we have members of the Frank family with King Frank on the mower and Manuel Frank and his son Bill hauling hay in for winter feed. history does not record. It was the custom in those days for entire crews of seamen to jump ship in San Francisco when they heard of the golden treasure so free in California. John and the men who joined him in forming the Portuguese Mining Company were probably men of this temperment. Many of these men moved on with the gold quest when mining became unprofitable. John turned to ranching and a home and family. He began purchasing neighboring Claims. He became a citizen of the United States on October 1, 1868 and adopted the name John Frank. On July 14, 1870 he married the lovely Maria Felicia brought to him from the Azores by her brother. Their marriage is the 34th recorded in the Book of Marriages in Nevada County. Way back in 1864 when the lovely Maria was to arrive, John built a sawmill. The Portuguese Mining Company had cleared a road along the banks of the stream where they were working. John harvested the biggest and best Oaks from along that road with his team of oxen and his two hands. He cut, hauled, and milled those selected trees into lumbers and bo to build Maria a home. Ten Fr children were born and raised in tha. home. John Frank died there in 1919 at the age of 83 years. Maria Frank preceeded him by three years, 1916, at the age of 76 years. Manuel Frank who inherited his fathers love of ranching lived there until his death in 1969. His children still live on and manage the ranch. Joseph Frank became a Supervisor for Nevada County in 1918 and arm served five terms. He served until 1938. The Fippins: Among the many other early day families that influenced the development of Rough and Ready was the Fippin family. John Fippic, came to

Ranching As mining disappeared from the area more and more Ranching developed. In 1858 County statistics show there were 271 ranches in Nevada County. Ninty-nine of these were in Rough and Ready Township. It was the most productive farming portion of the county. This seems to justify the Chamber of Commerce claim to being the Banana Belt of the Sierras. Many a disappointed miner had discarded his pick and shovel for the spade and plow. The fertile valleys were settled and the business of raising food for the hordes of hungry miners became a very profitable one. Improvements on ranches in Rough and Ready reached $114,700. A statement made in 1858 by Thompson and West about ranching here was “Plenty of water and a good clear atmosphere unite to give the mountain fruit a flavor that the sun parched valleys cannot produce’. Another equally true comment was that “most of the ranchers keep cattle and make a great deal of butter, mountain butter having a firmness and flavor wanting in the valley product’’. The development of the Montgomery Ranch at Penn Valley in Rough and Ready Township is one of the proofs of these comments. Under the ownership of John and Ferdinand Montgomery, who settled there in 1850, the Ranch had become a showplace. When the Dikemans, Simon and Maria, took over part of it in 1878 they added a Creamery. The Creamery was leased to Debbia Dobbins who knew about milk, cream, even the famous Cornish Scalded Cream, butter and cheese. In 1912 that Creamery won recognition in The Great West Magazine as one of the best in California. There were three in Nevada County at that time. Other ranches of note at that time were the George Beck and Charles Colling Ranches on Deer Creek which were noted for their peaches, the Ed Walters Ranch which supplied the entire area with fresh vegetables well into the 1900’s, and a great many Cattle ranches. The cattle ranches began in the lower elevations and Nevada County ranchers, Swan and Gus Segerstrand, J.H. Nile, Fred Horton, W.B. Church, Dart, Wm. Eddy, Alderman, Robinson, Ennor, Martel, Morrison, and numerous others. Contributions of Pioneer Families The Frank Ranch provides an excellent picture of the change from mining to ranching. It also provides the story of Maria Felicia. Among the early day families that left their mark on Rough and Ready and even Nevada

County was the Frank family. The family has passed the Century mark in living and working the land that their grandfather John Francisco purchased, as a partner in the Portuguese Mining Company, in 1867. John arrived in Rough and Ready early in the 1860’s. His native land was Fayalin the Azores. How he got from the Azores to San Francisco and how he came from San Francisco to Rough and Ready 2. Agriculture in Rough & Ready turned out to be the main source of income instead of gold and gave its citizens a constant and reliable income to survive generation to generation. Here we have members of the Frank family with King Frank on the mower and Manuel Frank and his son Bill hauling hay in for winter feed. history does not record. It was the custom in those days for entire crews of seamen to jump ship in San Francisco when they heard of the golden treasure so free in California. John and the men who joined him in forming the Portuguese Mining Company were probably men of this temperment. Many of these men moved on with the gold quest when mining became unprofitable. John turned to ranching and a home and family. He began purchasing neighboring Claims. He became a citizen of the United States on October 1, 1868 and adopted the name John Frank. On July 14, 1870 he married the lovely Maria Felicia brought to him from the Azores by her brother. Their marriage is the 34th recorded in the Book of Marriages in Nevada County. Way back in 1864 when the lovely Maria was to arrive, John built a sawmill. The Portuguese Mining Company had cleared a road along the banks of the stream where they were working. John harvested the biggest and best Oaks from along that road with his team of oxen and his two hands. He cut, hauled, and milled those selected trees into lumbers and bo to build Maria a home. Ten Fr children were born and raised in tha. home. John Frank died there in 1919 at the age of 83 years. Maria Frank preceeded him by three years, 1916, at the age of 76 years. Manuel Frank who inherited his fathers love of ranching lived there until his death in 1969. His children still live on and manage the ranch. Joseph Frank became a Supervisor for Nevada County in 1918 and arm served five terms. He served until 1938. The Fippins: Among the many other early day families that influenced the development of Rough and Ready was the Fippin family. John Fippic, came to