505.01 Acres in Valley Springs, CA - $4,400,000

This turn-key property includes two contiguous parcels with easy access along Lanford Pacheco Road. A scenic drive into the ranch leads you past tree-covered rolling hills, valleys and stunning vistas, to the ranch center where the homes, outbuildings and other structures are located. Surrounding the ranch center are gently sloped hills, flats and ridges of fertile grazing land with numerous springs, four ponds, native oaks and other deciduous trees, conifers, grasses and seasonal wildflowers. The water and fertile soil along with a wide variety of tree cover provides a rich habitat livestock, deer, quail, turkey, dove and other wildlife. Spectacular views of the Gold County, Sierras and the Central Valley stretching to Mt. Diablo can be taken in from around the property. Well-maintained roads provide great access to and throughout the ranch. An irrigated garden, orchard, flowering accent trees and landscaping surround the main home. Numerous springs are sprinkled throughout the ranch along with multiple livestock water troughs. Clear night skies free from ambient light with gentle breezes offers a quiet respite from the bustle of urban life.

APN: 050-020-004-000, 240-acres;

APN: 050-020-025-000, 265.01-acres.

Improvements

MAIN HOME: Rich wood clad interiors, high end appliances and striking views throughout the home greet you as you enter from the beautifully landscaped loop entry drive. The turn-key kitchen is a chef’s delight with a central island, expansive counters and storage, along with new high-end appliances. The dining nook leads to a larger dining room area, adjacent to the large, vaulted ceiling of the great room, all with endless views of the countryside. The main bedroom, with large bath and closets, includes French door access to the expansive deck. Two additional bedrooms, galley office, a full guest bath, another and bath, and the large multipurpose entertainment room with wet bar and fireplace round out this stunning home.

RANCH CENTER OUTBUILDINGS: 240-sq. ft. wood storage building with roll-up and entry door; 1010 storage building; 1000-sq. ft. multipurpose/office building flanked by 1,500-sq. ft. of covered metal storage buildings; 600-sq. ft. metal building with two adjacent storage containers; three additional storage containers; six 1010 covered kennels.

UPPER OUTBUILDINGS: 2,200-sq. ft. six-stall horse-livestock barn; 1,300-sq. ft. hay barn; 2,800-sq. ft. horse-livestock barn flanked by 5,500-sq. ft. of attached fence corral/pens; 80-sq. ft. enclosed wood storage building; extensive corrals and pens.

LOWER HOMES-OUTBUILDINGS: Wood home with kitchen, open area dining, bedroom and bath; Large wood ranch barns; two-bedroom trailer home; extensive corrals and pens.

WATER: Five wells with eight storage tanks (four 5,000-gal tanks and four 2,500-gal tanks), plus multiple springs.

FENCING: The land is fenced and includes barbed wire ranch fencing, separate pens, cross fencing, gates and more.

Building areas and details are approximate.

Recreation

This property and the surrounding Mother Lode region provides many outdoor activity opportunities such as horseback riding, hiking, fishing, upland bird and big game hunting, cycling, wildlife viewing and more. Activities are plentiful in the surrounding hills, mountains, lakes, rivers and streams of the foothill communities, Central Valley and Sierra Nevada. The Calaveras River is just a few miles away and New Hogan Lake is a 12-mile drive to the north. A short drive further lands you at Camanche Reservoir, Pardee Lake and the Mokelumne River, providing excellent fishing, boating, camping and hiking. La Contenta Golf Club is an 8-mile drive away and the picturesque Greenhorn Creek Golf Course a 40-min drive up CA-4. For the wine enthusiast, a wide array of spectacular wineries is a short drive up CA-4, including Murphys and nearby communities. An hour’s drive east finds you at the renowned Calaveras Big Trees State Park with snow skiing at the nearby Mt. Reba / Bear Valley Ski Resort.

Agriculture

With its great water supply and fertile soil, the property is well suited for horse and cattle grazing with additional farm/ag opportunities.

Water/Mineral Rights & Natural Resources

Plentiful water: Five wells with eight storage tanks (four 5,000-gal tanks and four 2,500-gal tanks), multiple springs and four spring fed ponds.

Region & Climate

Valley Springs, Jenny Lind and the neighboring communities in Calaveras and Stanislaus County offer year-round residents and visitors exceptional climate and weather.

History

VALLEY SPRINGS: Since the Gold Rush, the West Calaveras area has been Calaveras County’s Gateway to the Mother Lode. From stage stops along the route from Stockton to the San Joaquin & Sierra Nevada Railroad from Lodi that established Wallace, Burson and finally Valley Springs in 1884, the western section of the county has provided access to business and visitors to the Mother Lode. The area has also boasted its own resources, whether gold in Jenny Lind and Paloma, copper in Campo Seco or agriculture throughout the region. With Camanche, New Hogan, and Pardee reservoirs, the Tri-Dam area has most recently become a magnet for boating, fishing and camping. Today, while still a rural community, a residential real estate boom has made West Calaveras and Valley Springs a place to go to instead of a place to go through. Originally named Spring Valley and settled shortly after the discovery of gold in Coloma in 1849, Valley Springs served as a waypoint for travelers and prospectors heading to San Andreas to the east, Jenny Lind, and Copperopolis to the south, and Ione, Jackson, and Sutter Creek to the north. Valley Springs was not a gold rush town, though it served as a resting point for many miners. Prior to Anglo settlements, the area also served as a waypoint for native Mi-Wuk and Yokut tribes traveling from lower to higher elevations. Evidence of pre-historic settlements have not been found in Valley Springs, however grinding stones found in Valley Springs indicate that Native Americans passed through it. Source: Sierra Nevada Geotourism.

JENNY LIND: Situated on the road leading from Stockton to the Southern Mines, this town on the north bank of the Calaveras River was first called Dry Diggins at the dawn of the Gold Rush and served as a convenient waystation for freighters and mule teams. In the early 1850s, the town was renamed Jenny Lind, partly for pioneer Dr. John Y. Lind and partly for the far more famous singer Jenny Lind, though the Swedish Nightingale never set foot there. Placer mining prospered on the river, mainly by the area’s large Chinese population, for only a short time and in the early 1900s, gold dredging operations moved in until they diminished with World War II. Though Jenny Lind’s heyday is long past, a handful of buildings still stand as reminders of a rambunctious history.

MILTON: The state historical landmark for Milton identifies the town’s namesake as Milton Latham, the construction engineer of the Stockton and Copperopolis Railroad which arrived there on the 4th of July 1871. But Latham was a railroad financier and promoter not an engineer. He was also one of the most ambitious men in early California historyone of the state’s first U.S. Congressmen, our sixth governor, and one of our two U.S. Senators at the start of the Civil War. The town was created by the Stockton-Copperopolis Railroad, whose terminus of Milton ended up far short of Copperopolis. The boom-and-bust cycle of copper ensured that the railroad would go no farther and also halt the explosive growth of Milton in the 1870s. Other than its Masonic lodge, hardly a vestige remains today of what was one of the liveliest towns in Calaveras County.

Sources: CalaverasHistory.org and Sierra Nevada Geotourism

Location

Jenny Lind and Valley Springs are a short drive north of the ranch and Milton a few minutes to the south. Charming Jackson is just 30-miles northeast and the Lodi wine region 30-miles to the southwest. Sacramento International Airport is less than a 1.5-hr drive to the northwest. Shopping, entertainment and ranch / home resources are available in nearby communities.