Nunes fairy HABS No. CA-2713 (Johns.en Ranch) 9854 Bruceville Road Elk Grove Sacramento County California

PHOTOGRAPHS

WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA

Historic American Buildings Survey National Park Service Department of the Interior San Francisco, California HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDING SURVEY

NUNES DAIRY (Johnston Ranch)

HABS No. CA-2713

Location: 9854 Bruceville Road Elk Grove Sacramento County, California

U.S.G.S. 7.5 minute Florin, California, quadrangle Universal Transverse Mercator coordinates: Point A: 10.637730.4251060; Point B: 10.637930.4251040 Point C: 10.637690.4250870; Point D: 10.637910.4250880

Present Owner: Forecast Homes 1 796 Tribute Road, Suite 1 00 Sacramento, California 95815

Last Occupants: Nunes Dairy

Last Use: Abandoned dairy ranch, demolished in 2001

Significance: The Johnston Ranch is a group of farm ranch buildings, residences and ancillary structures encompassing approximately five acres. There are 18 buildings within the ranch complex, two of which are of individual importance, Workers' Residence No. 2 and a brick silo.

Workers' Residence No. 2 embodies the distinctive characteristics of a National Folk style house. The only modification to the building is the change to corrugated metal roofing, and possibly the small, shed-roofed porch and electrical wiring. The house is one of the few, small farm houses of its type and age remaining, in the area.

The clay tile silo is distinctive in its design and construction and is unusual for the Central California region and quite possibly unique to the Elk Grove area. Most of the surviving silos in the local area were built in the early years of the 20th century and constructed of concrete rings surrounded by steel bands. NUNES DAIRY (Johnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 (Page 2)

I. PHYSICAL SEITING OF THE RANCH AT 9854 BRUCEVILLE ROAD

The ranch complex at 9854 Bruceville Road is located in southern Sacramento County in California's Great Central Valley, "one of the most notable structural depressions in the world." The valley is more than 400 miles long and approximately 50 miles wide. Elevation is near sea level. The climate is Mediterranean: summers are hot and rainless, while winters are cool, often with low (tule) fog and 6-20 inches rainfall.

The complex lies at an elevation of 25 feet in the low plains of the southern Sacramento Valley, the northern portion of the Central Valley. The Sacramento River lies three miles west of the project site, while the Cosumnes River Basin lies five miles east.

Land use in the area is in transition. For many years the river bottom lands of the Sacramento and Cosumnes were cultivated for a variety of crops: tomatoes, beans, peppers, com, sugar beets, alfalfa and hops. The low plains between the rivers were grazed by beef cattle, dry farmed, planted in com, Sudan grass, or transformed into irrigated pastures for dairy cows. Today, urban growth is supplanting the rural community of Elk Grove and its agricultural base. Ranches are being subdivided, primarily for housing. The local population has risen from less than 4,000 in 1 970 to more than 72,000 in 2000.

II. HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THE SITE

The earliest private land ownership in the Elk Grove vicinity were the Mexican land grants, later confirmed by the United States, of Rancho Rio de los Americanos to William A Leidesdorff and Rancho Omochumnes to William Daylor and Jared Dixon Sheldon. The Leidesdorff grant was made in 1844 encompassing 35,521 acres from the south bank of the American River to a wedge shaped southern comer just south of the Jackson Highway (State Route 1 6) and Bradshaw Road intersection. The Sheldon grant was made in 1 841 , remade in 1 844 and covered an area of 18,662 acres along the Cosumnes River.

White settlement of the Elk Grove area began in 1844 when Martin Murphy and his wife built a home near Newachumne, the principal village of the Newachumne tribelet on the Cosumnes River at present-day Highway 99. Edward Perrin and his family settled nearby in 1849. Asa, Benjamin and John Wilder, brothers, also settled in the township in 1849. Asa and John died in the 1860s, but. Benjamin Wilder married and remained in the area. The earliest settlers in the Franklin Township west of Elk Grove included Joseph Sims, who settled on land along Lower Stockton Road in 1849. NUNES DAIRY (Johnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 (Page 3)

Another dozen ranchers settled the area in the next five years. In 1850, Albin Clark settled on Upper Stockton Road near old Elk Grove and was one of the first farmers to raise grain in the township. Elk Grove was founded by James Hall, who, with his family, arrived in California in 1850 and opened an inn, the Elk Grove House, on Upper Stockton Road in the vicinity of present-day Highway 99 and Elk Grove Boulevard. The name, "Elk Grove," was taken from a town of the same name in Missouri where Hall had lived. Major James B. Buckner built a hotel in 1850, which was known as the "Buckner Hotel." The Elk Grove House burned in 1857, but the town remained at this location for another twenty years.

Settlers continued to trickle into the area during the 1850s. Most raised livestock. G. Harvey Kerr was probably the most prominent early settler. Kerr settled near Elk Grove station in 1854 and became a prominent fruit-grower, vineyardist, and manufacturer.

When the Central Pacific line was constructed south of Sacramento in the 1870s, Elk Grove moved to the tracks at a location one mile east of the original site. Elk Grove was one of three towns (Florin, Elk Grove and Galt) that developed along the Central Pacific right-of-way south of Sacramento. Though the area was settled by the 1850s, transportation provided by the railroad spurred development around the three small agricultural centers during the 1870s.

Various new businesses were soon established in the relocated Elk Grove. By 1880 the town had two hotels, two general merchandise stores, a steam-run flouring mill, a train depot (which included one of the merchandise stores and a Wells Fargo Express office), a hardware and tin store, a meat market, a furniture manufactory, two drug stores, a harness shop, a variety store, a warehouse for grain and hay, a dressmaker, two millinery shops, a boot and shoe store, a carriage and wagon manufacturer and a blacksmith shop. Nothing much remained at the original site of Elk Grove. In 1880 it had only one store and a blacksmith shop.

The land in Franklin Township, west of Elk Grove, was agricultural or marsh. Settlers began arriving in the late 1840s. Holdings were acquired by individuals through military patent, preemption, or from the State of California, which was eligible for unclaimed federal land under the 1841 Congressional Act. Wheat was the principal crop, and ranches averaged about 320 acres. In addition, some fruit orchards were planted, mainly along the Sacramento River. By 1880 nearly all of the land in the township was under private ownership. NUNES DAIRY (Johnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 (Page 4)

Within Franklin Township was the town of Franklin, located on Lower Stockton Road four miles southwest of the original site of Elk Grove. Franklin was a stage stop on Lower Stockton Road (now Franklin Boulevard) between Sacramento and Stockton. The first building was the Franklin House, which was built by Andrew George in 1856. The post office was established in the same year. By the 1890s, Franklin had several stores and saloons, a meat market, blacksmith, hotel, school, residences, as well as the post office.

III. SPECIFIC HISTORY OF THE SITE

Thomas Walter Johnston purchased 160 acres, the southwest quarter of a full section, from the Williams family in 1883. The Johnstons were originally from England, moved to Canada, then settled in California. Thomas Walter Johnston married a local (Franklin area) girl, Elizabeth Derr. The Williamses were probably ranching the land when Johnston bought it, but what they raised and what Johnston first raised is not known. The number of buildings on the property indicates that Johnston's ranching operations were successful. In 1907, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, no other ranch in the Elk Grove area had as many buildings as Johnston's. The ranch remained intact during the 'teens and twenties, a period that saw the subdivision of many nearby holdings. Dairying was an important ranch activity by that time. The Johnstons also owned other property in the area and packed fruit from their orchards on the ranch. Buildings were remodeled and replaced over the years, but their number continued to grow through the mid-1 960s. After a century of ownership by the Johnston family, Milon Johnston, Thomas Walter's grandson, sold the property around 1990.

IV. PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

The ranch complex at 9854 Bruceville Road is a group of farm and ranch buildings encompassing approximately five acres south of Elk Grove Boulevard and approximately one-quarter of a mile west of Bruceville Road. The complex includes 18 buildings. There are four residences, a grain silo, six barns, a milk house, a converted calf barn, a garage, one mobile home and three ancillary buildings (two small sheds and one detached toilet facility). The ranch contains one additional building, a hog barn, approximately 1,200 feet west of the complex.

The buildings vary in size, construction materials, and function. The residences are all of wood construction but vary in architectural style and age. All four residences typify small-scale homes from their construction periods. In addition, residences one and two have both been altered significantly. The silo presents an interesting case due NUNES DAIRY (Johnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 (Page 5) mainly to its unique red clay tile construction. Most of the other silos in the area were built in the 1 920s and constructed of concrete rings surrounded by steel bands. , Design of the other buildings is almost completely functional, showing little attempt at architectural styling or ornamentation.

The buildings in the complex generally display a low level of integrity in design, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Residence No. 1 and Residence No. 2 are the only extant structures from the time of purchase and these buildings have been extensively modified. These alterations are not architecturally significant themselves and they obscure the original architectural style. Another house (Workers' Residence No. 2) may have been constructed as early as 1883, as were several outbuildings. This residence and a brick tile silo built 1 91 6 are the only two buildings that appear to be significant.

Descriptions of the ranch buildings, all of which were demolished in 2001, follow:

Residence No. 1. This building is a single-story, cross-gabled house with horizontal wood siding of a simple drop type that was popular from the 1870s to circa 1 900. The earlier portion of the dwelling, which dates from before 1883, originally took the gable-front-and-wing form. The east elevation, an obvious addition to the original house, is connected by a small cross-gabled extension that matches the old roof line. The addition has many elements of a Craftsman style home. It is covered by a side­ gabled, moderate pitched roof with composite shingles. The eaves are open and the NUNES DAIRY (Johnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 (Page 6) 1::1 Calf Barn D LJ Calf Residence No. 1 D Shed GranaryO

Milk House._I ____, GarageD Residence SiloO DBath House DNo.2

Mobile DHome Pump HouseD

Workers' DResidence No. 1 Barn No. 3 Workers' DResidence No. 2

Approximate Scale

0 50' 100'

Map of the Johnston Ranch complex, showing the locations of buildings and structures before their demolition in 2001.

roof beams are exposed. The full facade porch is set back under the existing roof line and is supported by four narrow square-sectioned posts separated by plain balustrades. The original windows are one-over-one and double hung. Wood siding on the addition is drop siding beveled to simulate narrow horizontal clapboard. On the south elevation, a shed-roofed porch extension obscures part of the original house and continues north to the comer of the building. The entire porch is enclosed with T-111 plywood siding and painted to match the building. Unlike the double­ hung windows on the house, the porch windows are modem aluminum sliders. The Craftsman addition and porch extension were added to the original building in the period 1916-1917. NUNES DAIRY (Johnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 (Page 7)

Residence No. 2. A second, smaller house is located immediately south of Residence No. 1 . The original portion of Residence No. 2 appears to have been a small, one­ story, side-gabled house with simple drop siding. This building was present when the Johnstons purchased the land in 1883. An enclosed porch with a shed roof extension has been added to the east elevation of the original building. The porch siding is T- 111 plywood. A Craftsman style addition with clapboard siding was made to the north elevation. Also a shed roofed entrance was added to the rear door. The porch and Craftsman-style addition were constructed between 1 91 6 and 191 7

Workers' Residence No. 1 . This home is a simple, cross gabled one story building with two shed-roof additions. The building rests on a concrete slab foundation. Exterior siding is plywood. The building is roofed with composition shingles, the windows are modern aluminum sliders and the eaves are open with unadorned 2x4 rafters exposed. By all appearances this is a modem house most likely constructed in the 1 960s. However, a portion of the house is a remodel based on a structure built in 1926-1927, which replaced an old house at the same location

Workers' Residence No. 2. This single-story house has a side-facing gable roof with overhanging eaves supported by extended rafter tails and knee braces. Covering the roof are corrugated metal sheets laid over composition shingles. Simple drop siding clads the building. Windows have wood frames and are mostly one-over-one. The foundation consists of concrete posts. The first story and the gable are both about nine feet high. An extension with a lower gable roof, perhaps originally a separate building, projects from the south side of the house. The main building measures roughly thirty feet wide and twenty feet deep. The extension is about twelve feet on each side. The building is described in greater detail on the accompanying architectural data form (HABS No. CA-2713-A).

Mobile Home. This single-wide mobile home has its main entrance on the west elevation. The home is clad in corrugated metal siding and the windows are aluminum sliders. By its appearance, the trailer dates to the mid 1 960s. It was moved onto the property in the 1 980s

Garage. This one-story garage has a hipped roof that is covered in corrugated metal. The walls are constructed of concrete and finished in stucco that is painted to match Residence No. 1. The entrance into the building is through large metal overhead doors on the east and west elevations. The interior floor is gravel and the wood beams supporting the roof appear to be full dimensional lumber. The garage was constructed ca 1 908.

Calf Barn. This one story side gabled building has a shed roof extension on the south. The building has a concrete slab foundation and the east and west elevations have NUNES DAIRY (Johnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 (Page 8)

approximately three feet high concrete block masonry walls on top of the concrete. The concrete blocks were a popular building material after World War II. The remainder of the structure is clad in horizontally hung tongue and groove planks that, while painted to match Residence No. 1, are not of the same era or milling. The shed-roof extension on the south runs the entire length of the building and functions as an open porch. There is an opening in the center of the building that is currently functioning as a garage. The building was originally an asparagus shed on a ranch about ten miles to the south. The building was moved to the Johnston place in the late 1 960s, where it was used as a calf barn Barn No. 1. This large two story barn appears to have originally been a front gabled building with the opening facing east. The original building was constructed by the Derr Lumber Company in 1 892. It appears that a smaller front gabled section was added to the east elevation at some point. The original part is clad in vertical boards while the· newer addition is clad in plywood. A large doorway has been cut into the south elevation of the addition. The two buildings are connected by a small gabled extension creating an obvious misalignment in roof line. The entire roof is covered in corrugated metal.

Barn No. 2. This large two-story building has a steep pitched side gabled roof. It is clad in vertical wood siding mounted flush. Date of construction was prior to 1 900, probably during the 1890s. The upper story appears to be board and batten. A large sliding door opens on the south elevation. A shed roof extension opening into a small fenced pen spans the entire west elevation. An opening has been cut on the east elevation and is currently used as a garage for an automobile. During the Johnston Ranch era, the barn was used to pack grapes and other fruit.. During this era doors opened at both ends, so vehicles could drive through. There were window openings, as well, for ventilation. Barn No. 3. This large two-story barn is the most modem barn in the complex. Constructed in 1958, it was designed to store com. The building has a front gabled roof covered with corrugated iron sheets. There are also seven bright metal exhaust vents on the roof peak. The west and east elevations are clad in corrugated metal siding while the north and south elevations are plywood siding. A shed roof extension along the length of the east elevation is used to cover equipment. There is a small one-story addition with a shed roof extension connected to the barn at its northwest corner. The addition housed an air drier for the com. The elevator machinery attached to the north elevation was used to hoist corn into the barn

Barn No. 4. This large two-story barn functions as a hay storage facility. The gabled roof is covered in corrugated metal and the sides are open. The barn was constructed during the World War II years, 1942-1944 NUNES DAIRY Oohnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 (Page 9)

Shop. This modern-type one-and-a-half-story barn has a low pitched front gabled roof that has shed roof extensions on both the west and east elevations. A large door hangs on an overhead rail that extends the entire width of the gable on the north elevation. There is a small window above the door. The west elevation is completely open with five 4x4 columns on concrete piers supporting the roof. Within this overhang, the building is clad in corrugated metal siding with another large sliding door opening into the interior of the main part of the barn. This building was constructed in 1958 and used as a shop where farm machinery was repaired and maintained

Calf Shed. This one story building is a side gabled structure clad in corrugated metal siding. It is constructed on a concrete slab foundation. There is a shed roof extension on the east elevation. This structure was built prior to moving the Calf Barn onto the property in the late 1 960s Granary. This building is a small side gabled shed clad entirely in corrugated metal. The building has a sliding door on the south elevation. Constructed ca. 1930, the building was used to store feed for milk cows. It was equipped with a ventilating system Milk House. This one story building has a side gabled roof that is clad in corrugated metal. Built in 1 938, it rests on a concrete foundation. The first four feet of the walls are masonry blocks. The use of concrete blocks became popular after World War II. The remainder of the building is clad in horizontal tongue and groove wood siding. A small corridor separates the east part of the interior from the west half. Milking equipment is located in the west half of the building.

Bath House (Toilet). This small shed roof building is clad in plywood and sits on a concrete slab foundation. It is located adjacent to the milk house and has a small aluminum sliding window and a door on the west elevation. There is a single sink and toilet in the interior. The building is used by the employees working on the dairy. It was constructed ca. 1960

Pump House. This small. building is a side-gabled shed clad entirely in corrugated metal. It was the second pump house on the ranch; its construction was started in 1 91 8, when the first pump house burned down. The south elevation has an open doorway leading to a concrete slab floor. The cement "trough" on the building's south elevation was the initial tank into which water was pumped from the well. The centrifugal pump was situated in a pit 30 feet deep under the pump house. The little building is currently empty.

Silo. This storage building was built by local labor in 191 6. The design of the silo was taken from similar structures on Moringdale's Ranch near Stockton. The silo is NUNES DAIRY (Johnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 (Page 10) approximately 40 feet high. It was constructed of square red clay hollow tiles marked by a thin vertical line pattern manufactured by H.C. Muddox. On the north side of the tower is an enclosed metal rung ladder. The roof is conical. The structure is in good condition with no obvious additions. More information about the structure is provided on the accompanying architectural data form (HABS No. CA-2713-B).

Hog Barn (not shown on map). This relatively long, single-story, side-gabled building is located about 1,200 feet west of the ranch complex. It is currently used as a residence and for storage. The north portion of the building is used as a residence with horizontal hung plank siding and aluminum framed windows. The south portion of the building serves as a garage with a large, hung sliding door on the east elevation. The south elevation is patched with plywood. The building rests on low concrete pier foundations. The building has been converted from its original use as a hog barn, which was constructed in 1932-1 933

V. SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Interview

Johnston, Milon. Interview with Ric Windmiller, Elk Grove, California, 18 January 2001 .

Bibliography

Beck, W. A and Haase, Y. D. Historical Atlas of California. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1974.

Buscher, D. "Franklin (formerly, Georgetown)." Ms. in the author's possession, Franklin, CA,n.d.

Elk Grove, Calif Topographic maps. Washington, D. C.: U. S. Geological Survey, 1909, 1952.

Florin, Calif Topographic maps. Washington, D. C.: U.S. Geological Survey, 1909, 1953.

Gudde, Erwin G. California Place Names: the Origin and Etymology of Current Geographical Names, 4th ed. Revised and enlarged by William Bright. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.

Hinds, Norman E. A Evolution of the California Landscape. California Bureau of Mines Bulletin 158. San Francisco: State Printing Office, 1952. NUNES DAIRY Oohnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 (Page 11)

History of Sacramento County. Oakland: Thompson and West, 1880.

Map of the County of Sacramento, California. Compiled by Drury Butler. N.p.: n.p., 1923.

McAlester, Virginia and McAlester, Lee. Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.

McGowan, Joseph. A. History of the Sacramento Valley. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1961.

Official Map of Sacramento County, California. Compiled by Fred A. Shepherd. N.p.: n.p., 1885.

Official Map of Sacramento County, California. Compiled by J. C. Boyd. San Francisco: Britton and Rey, 1903.

Official Map of the County of Sacramento, California. Compiled by C. M. Phinney. Sacramento: Phinney, Cate and Marshall, 1911 .

Peak and Associates. "Cultural Resources Assessment of the East Franklin Specific Plan Area, Sacramento County,, California." Report for Donn C. Reiners, Inc., 1999. Copy available from the North Central Information Center, California State University, Sacramento.

Reed, J. W., ed. History of Sacramento County, California. Los Angeles: Historic Record Company, 1923.

Storer, Tracy I. and Usinger, Robert L. Sierra Nevada Natural History: An Illustrated Handbook. Berkeley : University of California Press, 1963.

Windmiller, Ric and Osanna, Dan. "Cultural Resources Inventory, Laguna Creek South, Elk Grove, Sacramento California." Report for Forecast Homes, 2001 . Copy available from the North Central Information Center, California State University, Sacramento.

VI. PROJECT INFORMATION

This project was undertaken to mitigate the effects of placing 1,000 housing units on the ranch site and demolishing all the existing ranch buildings. The City of Elk Grove, under provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act, required the developer, Forecast Homes of Sacramento, to initiate mitigation before allowing construction to begin. Ric Windmiller, MA., Consulting Archaeologist, supervised the project. Dan NUNES DAIRY (Johnston Ranch) HABS No. CA-2713 {Page 12)

Osanna, M.A., prepared part of the text. Donald S. Napoli, Ph.D., edited and completed the text. Robert A Hicks, Field Documentation Service, prepared the photographs. The project was completed in May 2002.