Fresno

Hey Bryant! Do you live anywhere near the San Joaquin valley or Stockton California?

I was watching one of my favorite tv shows the other day and thought about ya. The Big Valley is one of those family-friendly tv shows I love (plus its a great western) and I got to thinking about where the series was set.

The TV series was based loosely on the Hill Ranch located at the western edge of Calaveras County, not far from Stockton (one episode places the Barkley Ranch a few hours' ride from town while another has Jarrod riding past a Calaveras County sign on his way to the TV series' ranch).

The Hill Ranch existed from 1855 until 1931, exceeded 1,000 acres and had the Mokelumne River running through it. Lawson Hill ran the ranch until he was murdered in 1861. His wife Euphemia (aka "Auntie Hill") then became the matriarch. During their marriage they had four children, one daughter and three sons. Today, the location of the ranch is covered by the waters of Lake Camanche. A California state historical marker standing at Camanche South Shore Park mentions the historic ranch. The set used to film the exterior of the Barkley Mansion stood on the backlot of Republic Studios from 1947 until 1975.

Had no idea you were a cowboy! =)

Dennis324 wrote:Hey Bryant! Do you live anywhere near the San Joaquin valley or Stockton California?

I was watching one of my favorite tv shows the other day and thought about ya. The Big Valley is one of those family-friendly tv shows I love (plus its a great western) and I got to thinking about where the series was set.

The TV series was based loosely on the Hill Ranch located at the western edge of Calaveras County, not far from Stockton (one episode places the Barkley Ranch a few hours' ride from town while another has Jarrod riding past a Calaveras County sign on his way to the TV series' ranch).

The Hill Ranch existed from 1855 until 1931, exceeded 1,000 acres and had the Mokelumne River running through it. Lawson Hill ran the ranch until he was murdered in 1861. His wife Euphemia (aka "Auntie Hill") then became the matriarch. During their marriage they had four children, one daughter and three sons. Today, the location of the ranch is covered by the waters of Lake Camanche. A California state historical marker standing at Camanche South Shore Park mentions the historic ranch. The set used to film the exterior of the Barkley Mansion stood on the backlot of Republic Studios from 1947 until 1975.

Had no idea you were a cowboy! =)

I'm not familiar with that show, although I have done some poking around in Calaveras County.

Fresno is located along the San Joaquin River along the eastern margin of the San Joaquin Valley portion of the Central Valley. The Central Valley of California is a ~450 mile long x ~75 mile wide valley that extends from Bakersfield in the south (side not, never go to Bakersfield) to Redding in the North. The southern half of the Central Valley is known as the San Joaquin Valley, named for the main river that drains most of that area (the southern part of the valley is actually a closed basin that, once contained a large natural lake until the 1950's when water began being diverted to LA or used for irrigation. No lake remains today, although its known to re-emerge during floods). The northern half of the Central Valley is known as the Sacramento Valley, named after the Sacramento River that drains that area. Stockton (which is about three hours north of Fresno) is located on the border between the two parts of the Central Valley near where the two rivers meet and flow out into the San Francisco Bay.

You may be surprised to know that while California is known for its fields and vineyards, ranching is huge here. Where I'm from, up in the mountains where most of the terrain doesn't lend its self to crop cultivation, ranching is the main stay of the economy. We are also home to the best cut of beef you can find anywhere, Tri-Tip steak (its supposed to be virtually impossible to find this cut outside of the CA-AZ-NV area for some reason).

Youre right. We dont normally think of California these days as anything more than hollywood and vinyards. But we really should since its history is quintessentially Western! Settled by the Indians, conquered by the Spanish, reconquered by the US Cavalry and settlers, exploited for its timber and gold. Huge seaports were built along its coastlines. A state of history, politics and industrial progression. A destination point for the railroads and settlement.

I've heard that tri tip is excellent but I've never had it. It can be found here I think but is rare. I'll try to look some up next time I go to Longhorn Steakhouse or another nice steakhouse.

Take a look at the Big Valley tv show if you get a chance. Its on the INSP network on directv, but can probably also be found on you-tube. Not masterful theater mind you, more along the lines of Bonanza or Gunsmoke. But the opening sequence shows a gorgeous huge valley or pastureland just made for open range grazing. I always get a little melancholy when I think of it now all being underwater.