Mendocino County Museum - August 2018 - Stierch 01

Ridgewood Ranch is a large ranch situated south of

Willits, California Willits (formerly Little Lake and Willitsville) is a city in Mendocino County, California, Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located about north-northwest of Ukiah, California, Ukiah, at an elevation of . The population was 4,9 ...

, in rural

Mendocino County Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish language, Spanish for "of Antonio de Mendoza, Mendoza") is a County (United States), county located on the North Coast (California), North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United S ...

. It is probably best known for being the final resting place of the

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

Seabiscuit Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933 – May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse in the United States who became the top money-winning racehorse up to the 1940s. He beat the 1937 Triple Crown winner, War Admiral, by four lengths in a two-hors ...

History

Situated in a low mountain valley below

Ridgewood Summit Ridgewood Summit is a low mountain pass in Mendocino County, California, traversed by U.S. Route 101 at an altitude of . It crosses the Mendocino Range, connecting Ukiah and the watershed of the Russian River, on the south of the pass, to W ...

, the that would become Ridgewood Ranch were originally inhabited by the indigenous

Pomo The Pomo are a Indigenous peoples of California, Native American people of California. Historical Pomo territory in Northern California was large, bordered by the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to ...

peoples. The property was purchased by automobile magnate

Charles S. Howard Charles Stewart Howard (February 28, 1877 – June 6, 1950) was an American businessman. He made his fortune as an automobile dealer and became a prominent thoroughbred racehorse owner. Biography Howard was dubbed one of the most successful Bui ...

in 1919, and he quickly transformed it into a fully working ranch and

thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a list of horse breeds, horse breed developed for Thoroughbred racing, horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thorough ...

facility, complete with the Howards' large Craftsman style home, and horse stud barn. In May 1926, Charles's son Frank was killed in a vehicle accident on the ranch. That tragedy led the Howards to fund the construction of Frank R. Howard Memorial Hospital, opened in 1928 in nearby Willits. At the end of Seabiscuit's successful racing career in 1940, he was put out to

stud Stud may refer to: Animals * Stud (animal), an animal retained for breeding ** Stud farm, a property where livestock are bred Arts and entertainment * Stud (band), a British progressive rock group * The Stud (bar), a gay bar in San Francisco * ...

and live his retirement at the ranch, finally being laid to rest on the property in 1947. Today the property is owned by the Golden Rule Church Association, which has taken steps to preserve its historic and environmental value. The Howard family's house still stands, together with Seabiscuit's stud barn and the remains of an old Pomo village. The ranch is also home to nearly of first and second growth

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 ...

, large

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

forests and

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

woodlands. It contains some rare vernal pools and provides habitat to a number of native species, including the

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of pr ...

and California mountain lion. Recently the conservancy erected a statue of Seabiscuit to help preserve the heritage of the ranch, and guided tours of the ranch are offered to the public.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Mendocino County, California Ranches in California Tourist attractions in Mendocino County, California