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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