RANCHING IN OLEMA AND TENNESSSEE VALLEYS - In the 1800s, Mexican land grantees brought livestock to their ranchos to feed off the rich grazing land found in Olema and Tennessee Valleys. In the mid-1800s, Portuguese and Swiss immigrants, who originally came to California to find gold, turned to dairy and beef ranching. Because of San Franciscos increasing demand for meat, milk and butter, ranching in the valleys grew into a thriving local industry. Over the years, the dairy industry evolved across the nation, and local ranchers had difficulty keeping up with necessary improvements to their operations. Dairy buildings had to be remodeled for sanitary measures to ensure the milk produced reached the Grade A level. Although nearly every dairy in Olema Valley reached this high grade in the 1950s, the environmental laws created in the 1970s soon forced them out of business because they did not have the money or space to meet the requirements. All of Olema Valleys dairy ranches were closed by 1975, and many were added to the GGNRA and the Point Reyes National Seashore. Photos are of the Seamus Farm circa 1920s, and the Lopes Ranch, Tennessee Valley, circa 1940s.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 16:55:08 +0000
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