The Old Borges Ranch is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

in the Mt. Diablo foothills within the Walnut Creek Open Space in

Contra Costa County Contra Costa County (; ''Contra Costa'', Spanish language, Spanish for 'Opposite Coast') is a U.S. county, county located in the U.S. state of California, in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 United States census, the ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. A former cattle ranch, Old Borges Ranch includes multiple historic buildings, a

ranger station A ranger station is a building complex typically including a dwelling and outbuildings which support a ranger or other guardian of a wilderness or national forest area. For example, the Cold Meadows Guard Station in Idaho County, Idaho, United S ...

, farm animals, and access to trails.

History

In 1899, Portuguese immigrant Francisco "Frank" Borges purchased for a cattle ranch and home for his family: wife Mary Borges and their children. The ranch's farmhouse, constructed of

redwood Sequoioideae, commonly referred to as redwoods, is a subfamily of Pinophyta, coniferous trees within the family (biology), family Cupressaceae, that range in the Northern Hemisphere, northern hemisphere. It includes the List of superlative tree ...

, was built in 1901. The family also built barns, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

shop, and a windmill. Five generations of the Borges family ended up living and working at the ranch. Eventually, the ranch fell into disrepair. In 1974, voters in Walnut Creek approved a $6.75 million bond measure to preserve open space in the Diablo foothills, and in 1976, the city of Walnut Creek purchased the Borges Ranch. Ron White, previously with the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

, was hired as Walnut Creek Open Space's first ranger and moved with his family to the property in 1978. After restoration, the ranch was added to the National Register of History Places in 1981.

Features

The Old Borges Ranchouse, built in 1901, is a five-room redwood structure. It was restored as a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that is preserved as a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of ...

, with period furnishings and artifacts, including a cast-iron stove, and historical displays of the area in the early 1900s. It serves as a visitor center for the Walnut Creek Open Space parks. Visitors can also see the original barns, blacksmith shop, windmill, antique tractors, and farm animals, including those raised by the Pleasant Hill

4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times ...

. A ranger station and ranger residence are also onsite.

References

External links

Old Borges Ranch website

Shell Ridge Open Space webpage

Open Space Trail Map Trail map
— ''northern section with Borges Ranch''. Parks in Contra Costa County, California Diablo Range Historic house museums in California Museums in Contra Costa County, California Open-air museums in California Houses completed in 1901 Houses in Contra Costa County, California Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Contra Costa County, California Ranches on the National Register of Historic Places in California History of Contra Costa County, California Walnut Creek, California Blacksmith shops {{ContraCostaCountyCA-NRHP-stub

History

Features

See also

References

External links