The History of the Vestal Ranch
Located in beautiful McArthur, California between Mt Shasta and Mt Lassen, the ranch was originally founded and settled by homesteaders through a land grant signed by Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States of America in 1876. The original ranch has been operated and continually farmed for six generations of the Vestal family.
In the late 1800’s to the mid 1900’s most operations were accomplished using animals. Farming machines were pulled by 16 horse teams. The hay was stacked in large piles using slides or put in the barns to feed the cattle and horses in the winter. Working dogs and horses were used to help herd the cattle to the next grazing site. A trip to town once a week for supplies and to attend the local dance was the big event of the week. Our grandmother June and her son, our father Tom Vestal, each rode their horses to school and town for social events weather permitting.
The ranch supports at any given time 800 or more head of cattle, 100 acres of wild rice, orchard grass, alfalfa hay and many working quarter horses, not to mention the abundance of cattle dogs, cats, geese, ducks, deer, bears, and other many other living creatures. Mark, Tami and Hardy Vestal are very proud to have kept this a working farm and cattle ranch into the 21th century.
Presently the ranch is owned by Tami and Mark Vestal. Sterling Humphrey, Tami’s son, manages the ranch. Jered Vestal, Hardy’s son, lives in the house that three generations of Vestals have been born in.
The ranch is very proud of its Angus cattle herd which was started by the late Tom and Marie Vestal. Tami Vestal has continued to improve the herd through sourcing, breeding, and genetic selection. We use humane handling practices and produce beef cattle with no chemicals or growth hormones. Tami added the no GMO certification this year. The cattle are grass fed and are a closed herd which means they have no contact with outside cattle that could carry disease or other afflictions.
We love this land and the animals on it. We are committed to staying true to our history and maintaining this beautiful piece of property for the enjoyment of future generations to come. We strive to be good stewards of the land and in doing so honor our parents and those who came before them. Anyone who would like to see a working cattle ranch and a pertinent part of our American history is welcome to visit. Thank you for reading and learning about our ranch. Giddy Up!
Vestal Ranch
Black Angus Cattle, Wild Rice & Hay
Fall River Mills, California
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Vestal Ranch – Black Angus Cattle, Wild Rice & Hay – Fall River Mills – PO Box 116, McArthur, CA 96056