When Fate Comes Calling by Eden Monroe

 

 https://www.bookswelove.com/monroe-eden/

When Fate Comes Calling is where it all begins in the romantic suspense series, Emerald Valley Ranch. The home of the golden horses, this family-owned spread, prospering under the leadership of Kane Davidson, is set in beautiful Eastern Canada.

“Rolling green hills surround Davidson land, a fertile lowland jewel refreshed by broad streams that dash down from the hillsides and dotted with lofty sugar maples, stout conifers and Mother Nature’s own personal wind chimes – thick groves of leafy poplar trees. In an age-old tradition, all of the Davidson barns are painted a deep rich red. After all, most of them house the heart blood of the ranch, the sixty mares who lead lives of pastoral content on the sumptuous grasslands….”

There are any number of ranches tucked away in the picturesque province of New Brunswick, serving a variety of functions, although in most cases they might typically be called farms. The difference between a farm and a ranch is that a (livestock) ranch raises animals and a farm raises crops as well as livestock, although of course those definitions aren’t always completely accurate.

 

 

 

There are countless ranches in other parts of Canada as well, usually in the west, and the oldest continually operated Canadian ranch is the Flying U Ranch in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. Established in 1849, it was made possible by a generous Crown grant by Queen Victoria. At the outset it served as a stopover for trappers and fur traders, and boasts a colourful history situated as it was along the Alaska Trail to and from Yukon Territory and Alaska. (flyingu.com) Today it is a popular guest ranch.

“Before British Columbia was settled and even before the gold rush, the Flying U Ranch had set the simple timeless principles of cowboy life. It turns out that the cowboy traditions struck a chord with people from all walks of life for generations that followed. The iconic cowboy represents the best of Canada — the courage, optimism and plain hard work. Cowboys are heroic not just because they do a dangerous job, but also because they stand for something — the simple, basic values that lie at the heart of the cowboy way.

“Even though the way of life has changed over the last 150 years, cowboys still honor and live by their code: Three square meals a day delivered hot and on time, a bottomless coffee pot 24 hours a day, respect for the herd and every wild animal who lives in the forests, living each day with courage and commitment regardless of weather, keeping our word, talking less and saying more, total discretion, and always finishing what is started.

“The Flying U Ranch tradition is alive and well.”

The largest ranch in Canada is once again located in British Columbia, in the south-central interior of that province, and comprised of more than one million acres. (harbourpublishing.com) Founded in 1884, “Douglas Lake Ranch is the largest privately held cattle ranch in Canada and one of the largest in North America. (www.douglaslake.com)

“The combination of its size, superior grasslands, extensive infrastructure, and sound management principles, have earned Douglas Lake Ranch the reputation of producing cattle of exceptional quality and uniformity in addition to being one of the lowest cost cattle producers in the country.”

“An equally important component of Douglas Lake Ranch is the Quarter Horse operation. The Ranch Horses originated and were maintained by horses raised at the Ranch until the early 1960’s when the Ranch and Mr. CN Woodward became interested in the American Quarter Horse….

“Now the ranch raises horses exclusively for it’s own Remuda, but is maintaining the bloodlines that the ranch worked so hard to build in the 1970’s and 1980’s. In November of 2004, Douglas Lake Ranch was honored by the American Quarter Horse Association with the “Best Remuda” award and in 2013 with the “Legacy Award”.

In the United States, the oldest working ranch is New York State’s Deep Hollow Ranch. (historictownsofamerica.com)

“The compound includes several working barns, a 5,000-square-foot antique timber framed farmhouse, and a 2-acre buildable lot. This oldest ranch in the U.S. is also known as the birthplace of the American Cowboy.

“With a history that dates all the way back to 1658, Deep Hollow Ranch is considered to be not only New York's oldest, but also America's oldest working ranch. The ranch traces its history back to the cattle punching of Long Island’s earliest settlers.

“These settlers took advantage of the region’s lush pastures and the fact that the ocean and sound provided natural boundaries that made the need for fences moot. The ranch is situated right along the oceanfront.”

The title of largest ranch in the US goes to the King Ranch: (Britannica.com)

“King Ranch, largest ranch in the United States, composed of a group of four tracts of land in southeastern Texas, totaling approximately 825,000 acres (333,800 hectares).

“The King Ranch was established by Richard King, a steamboat captain born in 1825 in Orange county, New York. Drawn to Texas by the Mexican War (1846–48), King piloted a steamer on the Rio Grande. After the war he bought his own steamer and went into partnership with Captain Mifflin Kenedy, who had been his commander. King purchased a part of the 75,000-acre (30,350-hectare) Spanish land grant known as Rincon de Santa Gertrudis. The King-Kenedy partnership dissolved in 1868. King and his heirs eventually accumulated more than 1,250,000 acres (505,850 hectares) of land, building an empire (supporting chiefly cattle, sheep, and horses) that spread over Kleberg, Nueces, Kenedy, and Willacy counties in Texas. Headquarters for the ranch are in Kingsville….”

There are several large ranches in the US, including the spread made popular in the Yellowstone series – the Four Sixes Ranch (6666ranch.com):

“Four Sixes Ranch is part of the famous Burnett Ranches LLC, which is among the most storied businesses in Texas history. Founded by Captain Samuel “Burk” Burnett in 1870—when he purchased 100 head of cattle wearing the “6666” brand from Frank Crowley of Denton, Texas—Burnett Ranches today encompasses 260,000 acres, including the Four Sixes Ranch headquarters, near Guthrie, and the Dixon Creek Ranch, between Panhandle and Borger—both located in the western half of the state.

“Legendary Quarter Horses and Superior Angus Cattle are hallmarks of the “Four Sixes.” The ranch not only offers state-of-the-art reproductive services and a full range of equine veterinary services but also stands to the public some of the most well-respected Quarter Horse stallions in the industry. In addition, the ranch’s elite broodmare band produces some of the best ranch, and sale horses available anywhere….”

According to education.nationalgeographic.org: “Ranching is common in temperate, dry areas, such as the Pampas region of South America, the western United States, the Prairie Provinces of Canada, and the Australian Outback. In these regions, grazing animals are able to roam over large areas. Some Australian ranches, known as stations, extend more than 10,000 square kilometers (3,861 square miles). The largest, Anna Creek station, covers almost 24,000 square kilometers (9,266 square miles).”

Ranches can also be found in many other parts of the world, including China and Africa. Working ranches abound, and the lifestyle is so appealing that guest/dude ranches, in North and South America, Canada and Australia, continue to be a popular choice for vacationers looking to capture that magical spirit of the west

Ranching is a way of life idealized by the legendary working cowboy/cowgirl and that never-ending allure makes for a booming guest/dude ranch industry. Even a temporary ranch experience is exciting enough to satisfy the appetite of those seeking a thoroughly authentic adventure.

Real-life working cowboys are estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands in number, and according to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) about a third of that number are women. There’s even a Working Ranch Cowboys Association (WRCA) whose mission statement is:

            “To promote ranching on a National and International level and to preserve the lifestyle of the working ranch cowboy.”

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