DATE: March 28, 2017
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Kelley Worman-Landano, Interim County Librarian
Penny Raven, Chair, Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission
SUBJECT: Centennial Farm - Metcalf Ranch
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve designation and placement of Metcalf Ranch on the County’s Register of Centennial Farms; and
2. Authorize the Chairman to execute the certificate for a Centennial Farm.
REPORT
Approval of these actions will allow the Metcalf Ranch to be placed on the County’s Register of Centennial Farms comprised of local farms with 100 years or more of continuous farming/ranching activity in Fresno County. The Historic Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission provides your Board recommendations for qualified farms for placement on the Fresno County List of Centennial Farms. Approval by the Board of Supervisors encourages preservation of our County’s history.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Your Board could choose to not approve these actions, which would result in the Metcalf Ranch not being placed on the County’s Register of Centennial Farms at this time.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended actions.
DISCUSSION:
The Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission recommends your Board approve the application submitted by Lyell Metcalf to add the Metcalf Ranch to the County’s List of Centennial Farms.
Metcalf Ranch is located in the Sand Creek area near Squaw Valley in the Fresno County foothills. It has been owned and operated by the Metcalf family for 100 years. E.R. (Ed), Metcalf and his wife Maude, along with their son, Cecil, purchased the first parcel of land for the 1,360-acre ranch on December 1, 1916.
Shortly after Cecil Metcalf’s marriage in 1917, his wife, Loeta established a summer-time store along Sand Creek Road, the main road to Kings Canyon National Park. The store remained in operation until 1934.
Cecil and Loeta’s son, Ralph Metcalf, was born in 1921 and helped operate the ranch along with his grandfather. He took over the operation upon his grandfather’s death in 1940. The ranch raised cattle, hogs, sheep, and laying chickens. Ralph Metcalf also collected and restored horse-drawn farm equipment. He operated the ranch until his death in 2009.
Ralph’s wife, Frances Lucile Metcalf is still living on the ranch, currently 602 acres. Their son, Lyell Metcalf and his wife Carley, a Riverdale native, are currently managing the ranch. Though none of the original structures still stand - other than the remains of a fireplace on the site of where the 1916 home burned down in 1955 - the ranch has been in continuous operation and in the hands of the same family for 100 years. They still have a large collection of old farm equipment and their driveway is lined with a variety of metal sculptures created by Lyell Metcalf.
The Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission reviewed the application during its March 10, 2016 meeting; the application was tabled at that time as the 100-year anniversary would not occur until December 1, 2016. The application was again reviewed during the January 12, 2017 meeting and the Commission unanimously voted to recommend that Metcalf Ranch be recommended for addition to the Fresno County’s Register of Centennial Farms.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
Historical Landmarks and Records Advisory Commission
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Centennial Farm Certificate
CAO ANALYST:
Samantha Buck