Wilder Ranch State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Wilder Ranch State Park |
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IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
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Restored Wilder Ranch house
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 Wilder Ranch State Park
Location in California
Wilder Ranch State Park
Location in the United States
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| Location | Santa Cruz County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Santa Cruz, California |
| Area | 7,000 acres (28 km2) |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks & Recreation |
Wilder Ranch State Park is a cool California State Park located right on the Pacific Ocean coast. You can find it just north of Santa Cruz, California. This park used to be a working dairy farm, and many of the old farm buildings have been fixed up. Now, they are part of a museum you can visit!
Wilder Ranch is a day-use park, which means there are no campgrounds for overnight stays. You can park your car and explore for the day. It's a favorite spot for people who love to hike, ride horses, and go mountain biking because of its long trails and amazing ocean views. Just remember, dogs are not allowed on the trails to protect the wildlife.
A Look Back: History of Wilder Ranch
The first Europeans to explore this part of California were from Spain, led by the Portolà expedition. They traveled along this coast in 1769. On their journey, they camped near what is now Majors Creek, which is the northern edge of the park today. They gave names to important places like the Pajaro River, San Lorenzo River, and Santa Cruz, which are still used today.
From Mission Lands to Ranchos
Later, in 1791, Mission Santa Cruz was built. The land where Wilder Ranch is now became part of the mission's grazing lands for animals. In 1834, the missions were closed down, and their lands were divided into large areas called "ranchos." Wilder Ranch became part of a rancho called Rancho Refugio.
An important old building in the park is part of an adobe house. This house was built around 1839 by Jose Bolcoff, who received the rancho land.
The Wilder Family Dairy
In 1871, a dairyman named Delos D. Wilder and his partner, L. K. Baldwin, bought some of this land. They later split their land into separate farms in 1885. Most of both their farms are now inside the state park.
Some of the old farmhouses here are even older than when the Wilders bought the land. The oldest part of one house was built in the 1850s. The beautiful 1897 Victorian home of the Wilder family is also still standing. The Wilder family kept running their dairy farm until 1969. Then, in 1974, the state of California bought the land to create the park. Since then, the Bolcoff adobe, the two Wilder houses, and other farm buildings have been fixed up. They are now part of the museum, showing what life was like on a dairy ranch long ago.
Gray Whale Ranch: An Important Addition
In 1996, the park grew even bigger when the state bought the land next door, known as "Gray Whale Ranch." This huge area is about 2,305 acres (9.3 km2)! It has many long trails that connect Wilder Ranch to the University of California at Santa Cruz campus.
With the addition of Gray Whale Ranch and other lands, the park is now about 7,000 acres (28 km2). It stretches about 7.5 miles (12 km) from the coast all the way inland. This creates a large area of public land that connects the ocean shore to the town of Felton.
The old "Gray Whale Ranch" also has the remains of a place where lime was made. You can see an old quarry (where stone was dug out) and lime kilns (ovens for making lime). These were built in the mid-1800s by an early lime maker named Samuel Adams. Later, a famous industrialist named Henry Cowell owned the ranch and the lime works.
Gray Whale Ranch was originally planned for logging, but conservation groups worked hard to protect it. The Save the Redwoods League, a group that helps save forests, bought the land in 1996 for $13.4 million. They then transferred it to the State Parks Department. Other groups like the California Coastal Conservancy and the state California Wildlife Conservation Board also helped the State Parks get the property.
Protecting Ocean Life: Marine Protected Area
Right along the coast of Wilder Ranch State Park, there's a special area called the Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve. This area is also next to Natural Bridges State Beach. It's a long, narrow protected zone in the ocean.
This protected area helps keep ocean creatures and their homes safe. It's like a special underwater park where marine life can thrive without being disturbed. This helps conserve the amazing animals and plants that live in the ocean's tidal zones and marine ecosystems.
Images for kids
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Restored Wilder Ranch house
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The Bolcoff adobe building at Wilder Ranch State Park
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Seaside cliffs and beach at Wilder Ranch
