Tejon Ranch
Encyclopedia
The Tejon Ranch Company , based in Lebec, California
, is one of the largest private landowners in California. [The federally-gifted lands still held by the Catellus Corporation, a successor to the Southern Pacific Land Company, are much more extensive.] It was incorporated in 1936 to organise the ownership of a large tract of land originally comprising four Mexican land grants, and began ranching in the 1840s. It now controls over 270000 acres (1,093 km²) in the southern San Joaquin Valley
, Tehachapi Mountains
, and Antelope Valley
. Tejon Ranch grows almonds, pistachios, walnuts, wine grapes, and several varieties of row crops. Depending on the season, up to 12,000 head of cattle can be found grazing on the ranch. Cattle leases cover about 250000 acres (1,012 km²).
; the 97617 acres (395 km²) Rancho El Tejon
; and the 22178 acres (89.8 km²) Rancho Castac
. A fourth tract, the 48800 acres (197.5 km²) Rancho La Liebre
, was granted in 1846.
At the urging of Edward Beale
, Superintendent of Indian Affairs in California, the Sebastian Indian Reservation was established in 1853 on Rancho El Tejon, and Fort Tejon
was established by the U.S. Army in 1854 on Rancho Castac. These were federal projects, consisting of major developments and improvements, on what was the Mexican grantees' private land.
In 1855, Edward Beale purchased Rancho La Liebre. The Army abandoned Fort Tejon in 1864. Beale bought Rancho El Tejon and Rancho de los Alamos y Agua Caliente in 1865, and Rancho Castac in 1866. With the purchase of these four Mexican land grants, Beale created the present day Tejon Ranch.
Beale's son, Truxtun Beale
, sold the Tejon Ranch in 1912 to a syndicate of investors headed by Los Angeles Times
publisher Harry Chandler
and land developer Moses Sherman
. Both had extensive holdings in the San Fernando Valley
.
In 1936, the Tejon Ranch Company became a public company, with the Chandler–Sherman group retaining a controlling interest.
Its principal activity is land development and agribusiness
, increasing the value of real estate and resource holding on this land. The company operates in four segments of the economy:
occur on as yet undisturbed land owned by Tejon Ranch. It is situated at a section of the state where several ecoregion
s meet and overlap: the Mojave Desert
, the Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada, and the Transverse Ranges
of Southern California
. The interaction of unique geography and varying climates has produced high biodiversity
, as evidenced by showy spring wildflower
blooms.
An agreement between the Tejon Ranch Company and a coalition of environmental groups, announced in May 2008, is designed to permanently protect 240000 acres (971.2 km²) of the historic ranch. It is the largest conservation and land-use
pact in California history.
The agreement was finally reached to conclude 20 months of off-and-on negotiations, but only after a marathon three-day bargaining session in April 2008. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled to the ranch in May of that year to take part in the announcement, but the signing of the agreement was done in private in June.
Highlights of the pact are:
. The development would include homes, commercial buildings, hotels, and golf courses.
, or planned development, on the Tejon Ranch property. The project is undergoing an internal review by the County of Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning
.
s in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Foreign-made goods will be trucked in from California ports like Oakland and Los Angeles and stored until they are delivered to retailers. About a third of the park is expected to be declared a foreign trade zone, allowing importers to defer payment of U.S. customs duty. The site also includes commercial use like restaurants, automobile service stations, and a large truck stop
.
Lebec, California
Lebec is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Kern County, California. It is one of the Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass, and the home of the Tejon Ranch Company. Lebec is south of Bakersfield. The population was 1,468 in the 2010 census, up from 1,224 in...
, is one of the largest private landowners in California. [The federally-gifted lands still held by the Catellus Corporation, a successor to the Southern Pacific Land Company, are much more extensive.] It was incorporated in 1936 to organise the ownership of a large tract of land originally comprising four Mexican land grants, and began ranching in the 1840s. It now controls over 270000 acres (1,093 km²) in the southern San Joaquin Valley
San Joaquin Valley
The San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
, Tehachapi Mountains
Tehachapi Mountains
The Tehachapi Mountains , regionally also called The Tehachapis, are a mountain range in the Transverse Ranges system of California in the Western United States...
, and Antelope Valley
Antelope Valley
The Antelope Valley in California, United States, is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...
. Tejon Ranch grows almonds, pistachios, walnuts, wine grapes, and several varieties of row crops. Depending on the season, up to 12,000 head of cattle can be found grazing on the ranch. Cattle leases cover about 250000 acres (1,012 km²).
History
In 1843, the Mexican government made grants for the land that became three ranches: the 26626 acres (107.8 km²) Rancho Los Alamos y Agua CalienteRancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente
Rancho Los Alamos y Agua Caliente was a Mexican land grant in present day Kern County, California given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico to Francisco Lopes, Luis Jordan and Vicente Botiller. The name means "Cottonwoods and Warm Water Ranch" in Spanish. The native riparian Fremont Cotonwood grow...
; the 97617 acres (395 km²) Rancho El Tejon
Rancho El Tejon
Rancho El Tejon was a Mexican land grant in the Tehachapi Mountains, in present day Kern County, California given in 1843 by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to José Antonio Aguirre and Ygnacio del Valle...
; and the 22178 acres (89.8 km²) Rancho Castac
Rancho Castac
This is an article about a former California rancho. For a community of a similar name in the same general area, see Castaic, California.Rancho Castac or Rancho Castec was a Mexican land grant in present-day Kern and Los Angeles counties, California, made by Governor Manuel Micheltorena to Jose...
. A fourth tract, the 48800 acres (197.5 km²) Rancho La Liebre
Rancho La Liebre
Rancho La Liebre was a Mexican land grant in present day Kern County, California and Los Angeles County given in 1846 by Governor Pio Pico to Jose Maria Flores. Liebre means "Rabbit" in Spanish and the rancho was named as such because of the abundance of jack rabbits in the area...
, was granted in 1846.
At the urging of Edward Beale
Edward Fitzgerald Beale
Edward Fitzgerald "Ned" Beale was a national figure in 19th century America. He was naval officer, military general, explorer, frontiersman, Indian affairs superintendent, California rancher, diplomat, and friend of Kit Carson, Buffalo Bill Cody and Ulysses S. Grant...
, Superintendent of Indian Affairs in California, the Sebastian Indian Reservation was established in 1853 on Rancho El Tejon, and Fort Tejon
Fort Tejon
Fort Tejon in California is a former United States Army outpost which was intermittently active from June 24, 1854, until September 11, 1864. It is located in the Grapevine Canyon area of Tejon Pass along Interstate 5, the main route through the mountains separating the Central Valley from Los...
was established by the U.S. Army in 1854 on Rancho Castac. These were federal projects, consisting of major developments and improvements, on what was the Mexican grantees' private land.
In 1855, Edward Beale purchased Rancho La Liebre. The Army abandoned Fort Tejon in 1864. Beale bought Rancho El Tejon and Rancho de los Alamos y Agua Caliente in 1865, and Rancho Castac in 1866. With the purchase of these four Mexican land grants, Beale created the present day Tejon Ranch.
Beale's son, Truxtun Beale
Truxtun Beale
Truxtun Beale was an American diplomat.-Biography:Beale was born in San Francisco to Edward Fitzgerald Beale and Mary Engle Edwards; his siblings were Mary and Emily . He was named for his grand-father Commodore Thomas Truxtun...
, sold the Tejon Ranch in 1912 to a syndicate of investors headed by Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
publisher Harry Chandler
Harry Chandler
Harry Chandler was an American newspaper publisher and investor who became owner of the largest real estate empire in the U.S.-Biography:...
and land developer Moses Sherman
Moses Sherman
Moses Hazeltine Sherman was a land developer who built the Phoenix Street Railway in Phoenix, Arizona, and later built other lines and owned property in the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood, California. He also served on the Los Angeles Water Board.At the junction of his streetcar lines west of...
. Both had extensive holdings in the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
.
In 1936, the Tejon Ranch Company became a public company, with the Chandler–Sherman group retaining a controlling interest.
Tejon Ranch Company
Tejon Ranch is the largest private landholding in California, and today is owned by Tejon Ranch Company, a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.Its principal activity is land development and agribusiness
Agribusiness
In agriculture, agribusiness is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming and contract farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales....
, increasing the value of real estate and resource holding on this land. The company operates in four segments of the economy:
- Real estate, including development, investments, and leases of prime farmlandPrime farmlandPrime farmland is a designation assigned by U.S. Department of Agriculture defining land that has the best combination of physical and chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops and is also available for these land uses....
and oil fields. - Livestock, mainly feedlot beef cattle.
- Farming, including farm consultingConsultantA consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
. Main crops are wine grapes and several varieties of nuts. - Resource managementResource managementIn organizational studies, resource management is the efficient and effective deployment of an organization's resources when they are needed. Such resources may include financial resources, inventory, human skills, production resources, or information technology...
, which involves game management and location filming.
Conservation and land-use agreement
A large number of California native plantsCalifornia native plants
California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
occur on as yet undisturbed land owned by Tejon Ranch. It is situated at a section of the state where several ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
s meet and overlap: the Mojave Desert
Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
, the Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada, and the Transverse Ranges
Transverse Ranges
The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region that runs along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico in North America. The Transverse Ranges begin at the southern end of the California Coast Ranges and lie between...
of Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. The interaction of unique geography and varying climates has produced high biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
, as evidenced by showy spring wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
blooms.
An agreement between the Tejon Ranch Company and a coalition of environmental groups, announced in May 2008, is designed to permanently protect 240000 acres (971.2 km²) of the historic ranch. It is the largest conservation and land-use
Land use
Land use is the human use of land. Land use involves the management and modification of natural environment or wilderness into built environment such as fields, pastures, and settlements. It has also been defined as "the arrangements, activities and inputs people undertake in a certain land cover...
pact in California history.
The agreement was finally reached to conclude 20 months of off-and-on negotiations, but only after a marathon three-day bargaining session in April 2008. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled to the ranch in May of that year to take part in the announcement, but the signing of the agreement was done in private in June.
Highlights of the pact are:
- Tejon Ranch will have the right to proceed with three massive development projects (listed below). All the projects still must undergo approvals by county, state, and federal authorities.
- Tejon Ranch will set aside 178000 acres (720.3 km²) for conservation and will provide an option for public purchase of an additional 62000 acres (250.9 km²) – 49,000 to create a state parkState parkState parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
, 10,000 to realign 37 miles (59.5 km) of the Pacific Crest hiking trailPacific Crest TrailThe Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...
, and the rest for docentMuseum docentMuseum docent is a title used in the United States for educators trained to further the public's understanding of the cultural and historical collections of the institution, including local and national museums, zoos, historical landmarks, and parks. In many cases, docents, in addition to their...
-led tours of "sensitive habitat." Tejon Ranch will accept the value set by a state appraiser, both sides agreed. Easements will be phased in but will allow existing buildings and historic uses, like cattle grazing and movie-making, to continue. - The environmental coalition of the Natural Resources Defense CouncilNatural Resources Defense CouncilThe Natural Resources Defense Council is a New York City-based, non-profit, non-partisan international environmental advocacy group, with offices in Washington DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Beijing...
, the Sierra ClubSierra ClubThe Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
, Audubon California, the Planning and Conservation League, and the Endangered Habitats League will drop their theatened campaign to oppose the three planned Tejon Ranch developments. But opposition will still be mounted by the Center for Biological DiversityCenter for Biological DiversityThe Center for Biological Diversity based in Tucson, Arizona, is a nonprofit membership organization with approximately 220,000 members and online activists, known for its work protecting endangered species through legal action and scientific petitions...
on the grounds that the pact would threaten wildlife.
- A 12-member "independent Tejon Ranch Conservancy" will be appointed by the company and the environmental coalition to manage the preserved land "in perpetuity." The company is to provide $800,000 a year for seven years to get the conservancy started.
- In developing Tejon Mountain Village, the company agreed to leave four of the five northern-facing ridge lines free from development because they are prime foraging grounds for the threatened California condorCalifornia CondorThe California Condor is a New World vulture, the largest North American land bird. Currently, this condor inhabits only the Grand Canyon area, Zion National Park, and coastal mountains of central and southern California and northern Baja California...
.
- The Pacific Crest TrailPacific Crest TrailThe Pacific Crest Trail is a long-distance mountain hiking and equestrian trail on the Western Seaboard of the United States. The southern terminus is at the California border with Mexico...
, which runs from Mexico to Canada, will be rerouted on 10000 acres (40.5 km²) of Tejon Ranch property so that it will go through the ranch, thus opening vast tracts of wilderness and creating a natural corridorWildlife corridorA wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
between the Sierra Nevada range of mountains to the east, through the Mojave DesertMojave DesertThe Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...
and the San Joaquin ValleySan Joaquin ValleyThe San Joaquin Valley is the area of the Central Valley of California that lies south of the Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta in Stockton...
to the Pacific CoastPacific CoastA country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast bordering the Pacific Ocean.-The Americas:Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western border.* Geography of Canada* Geography of Chile* Geography of Colombia...
on the west.
Future construction
Three development projects are in the pipeline for the Tejon Ranch Company.Tejon Mountain Village
The most extensive of these projects, Tejon Mountain Village is a proposed residential, commercial, and recreational development that has been a matter of heated debate for years in the Mountain Communities of the Tejon PassMountain Communities of the Tejon Pass
The Mountain Communities of the Tejon Pass, or the Frazier Mountain Communities, in the San Emigdio Mountains is a region of California that includes Lebec, Frazier Park, Lake of the Woods, Lockwood Valley, Pinon Pines, and Pine Mountain Club, in Kern County, California, and Gorman in Los Angeles...
. The development would include homes, commercial buildings, hotels, and golf courses.
Centennial
Centennial is a proposed new townNew town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
, or planned development, on the Tejon Ranch property. The project is undergoing an internal review by the County of Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning
Regional planning
Regional planning deals with the efficient placement of land use activities, infrastructure, and settlement growth across a larger area of land than an individual city or town. The related field of urban planning deals with the specific issues of city planning...
.
Tejon Industrial Complex
Three large warehouses have been built by the Tejon Ranch Company as the first in what will be an industrial complex designed to compete with distribution centerDistribution center
A distribution center for a set of products is a warehouse or other specialized building, often with refrigeration or air conditioning, which is stocked with products to be redistributed to retailers, to wholesalers, or directly to consumers. A distribution center is a principal part, the order...
s in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Foreign-made goods will be trucked in from California ports like Oakland and Los Angeles and stored until they are delivered to retailers. About a third of the park is expected to be declared a foreign trade zone, allowing importers to defer payment of U.S. customs duty. The site also includes commercial use like restaurants, automobile service stations, and a large truck stop
Truck stop
A truck stop is a commercial facility predicated on providing fuel, parking, and often food and other services to motorists and truck drivers...
.