![]() | Wilder Ranch Park Brochure |
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Our Mission
Wilder Ranch
State Park
The mission of California State Parks is
to provide for the health, inspiration and
education of the people of California by helping
to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological
diversity, protecting its most valued natural and
cultural resources, and creating opportunities
for high-quality outdoor recreation.
Historic Wilder Ranch
preserves a working
dairy farm,
an 1840 adobe,
and a Victorian farmhouse
on 7,000 coastal acres.
California State Parks supports equal access.
Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who
need assistance should contact the park at
(831) 423-9703. If you need this publication in an
alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For information call: (800) 777-0369
(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.
711, TTY relay service
www.parks.ca.gov
Wilder Ranch State Park
1401 Coast Road
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 423-9703 or (831) 426-0505
© 2009 California State Parks (Rev. 2017)
T
he Santa Cruz coastline awaits
discovery on Wilder Ranch State Park’s
7,000 acres. From the crest of Ben Lomond
Mountain, the landscape rolls down ancient
wave-cut terraces through the marsh lands
of a nature preserve to the seashore. This
region’s climate has a mild average of 50 to 70
degrees. Coastal weather is unpredictable.
PARK HISTORY
Native People
Ohlone Indians made this watershed their
homeland for centuries. They built conical
homes from bent willow poles and traded
local stones, shells, and bone tools with
inland tribes.
The Ohlone way of life changed radically
after the 1776 expedition of Gaspar de
Portolá. More Spanish explorers and
Franciscan padres followed after Mission
Santa Cruz was dedicated in 1791. The
mission’s sphere of influence extended north
to Año Nuevo Point and south to the Pajaro
River valley near Watsonville. The Spanish
grazed mission cattle on tribal grasslands
and freely used the Ohlone food sources.
Eventually, European diseases and the loss
of their lands led to a dwindling Ohlone
population. Today, Ohlone descendants
practice their surviving cultural traditions.
Rancho del Refugio
From 1791 to 1835, all of the land west of
Mission Santa Cruz was called Rancho Arroyo
del Matadero (“ranch of the streambed
slaughtering ground”), where mission cattle
were butchered. In the 1830s, the land was
left to the three daughters of Joaquin Castro
and became known as Rancho del Refugio.
Maria Candida Castro and her husband José
Antonio Bolcoff became Rancho Refugio’s first
titled owners of record. Bolcoff was a Russian
sailor who had jumped ship to become a
naturalized Mexican citizen; later he was
arrested for smuggling. He built two adobes
and one of the area’s first sawmills on the
rancho. Bolcoff’s butter and cheese were wellknown in the Monterey area.
The rancho lands were split before a large
portion was acquired by Moses Meder in
1854. In the 1850s, Meder constructed a
new home, now the front portion of the old
farmhouse. He expanded dairy and farming
activities and built a creamery, dairy barn,
and other farm buildings. Meder’s butter sold
for $1 a pound in San Francisco — expensive
for the time.
The Pelton water wheel drives the
dairy and farm equipment.
Historic dairy complex
Partners Levi K. Baldwin and Deloss D.
Wilder purchased 4,160 acres of the former
rancho in 1871 and built a new creamery on
the property in the mid-1870s. The partners
amicably split the acreage between them in
1885; Wilder obtained the lower portion on
Meder Creek.
D.D. Wilder’s Creamery
The Wilder family continued to work the land
for five generations over nearly a century. In
1889, innovator D.D. Wilder harnessed water
power to drive their equipment with a Pelton
water wheel. A San Francisco newspaper
credited Wilder with inventing “artificial
sunrise” when he electrified his dairy. The
dairy’s success enabled construction of a
new Victorian farmhouse in 1897. The Wilder
family ran the ranch until 1969, when property
taxes exceeded farm income.
In the 1970s, the land was proposed for
a housing development, but Santa Cruz
County citizens voted to protect the open
space. In 1974 California State Parks acquired
the property to preserve the land’s natural
environment and cultural history.
NATURAL RESOURCES
Rainwater carves steep canyons through
the marine terraces. Douglas-firs and coast
redwoods dominate the drainages while
coastal prairie covers much of the flatter
terrain. Manzanitas, knobcone pines, and
chaparral pea grow in drier, sandier inland
soils. Grasslands and oak woodlands
are home to deer, bobcats, coyotes, and
mountain lions. Snowy plovers make their
nests on Wilder Beach Natural Preserve,
which is closed to public exploration. Harbor
seals and sea otters gather where Wilder’s
watersheds join the Monterey Bay National
Marine Sanctuary. Offshore, dolphins and
migrating whales are often spotted.
Programs and Recreation
The Wilder Dairy Cultural Preserve area
—a rodeo arena, ranch buildings, and three
restored workshops run by water power—has
early farm implements and tools. Docents at
Wilder Ranch often dress in period clothing
for interpretive tours and living history
demonstrations. Call (831) 426-0505 for tours.
Hiking—Trails beginning in the lower park at
the Cultural Preserve wind along the coastal
bluffs near the beaches, tide pools, and sea
caves, up into the hills and terraces of the
park to 1,800 feet on Ben Lomond Mountain.
Bicycling—A 35-mile network of multi-use
trails crosses the park. Please walk bikes
through the historic area.
Horseback Riding & Camping—Equestrians
are allowed on all park trails and unpaved
roads, except those on the
ocean side of Highway One.
Six horse-camping sites are
available first-come, firstserved. Call (831) 423-9703
for access to the equestrian
staging and camping area
near Dimeo Lane.
ACCESSIBLE FEATURES
Visitors may require
assistance to access historic
structures via short, ramped
entries. Parking and a
restroom in the main lot
Harbor seals at rest
are accessible. For current information on
accessibility and parking, call (831) 426-0505
or visit http://access.parks.ca.gov.
NEARBY STATE PARKS
• Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
101 North Big Trees Park Rd., Felton 95018
(831) 438-2396 or (831) 335-4598
• Natural Bridges SB, 2531 West Cliff Dr.
Santa Cruz 95060 (831) 423-4609
• Santa Cruz Mission SHP, 144 School St.
Santa Cruz 95060 (831) 425-5849
This park receives support in part from a
nonprofit organization. For information,
contact Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks
144 School Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
www.thatsmypark.org
16
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Key to Detailed Map
1
Corn Crib
8
Garage
Horse Barn
2
9
Equipment Shed
Granary
3
10
Bolcoff Adobe
Cow Barn
4
11
Victorian House
Calf Weaning Shed
5
12
Old Farmhouse
Feeding Shed
6
13
Workshops
Bull Shed
7
14
Spring House
to
San Francisco
SAN JOSÉ
101
San Gregorio
SB
Cupertino
Pomponio SB
Portola
Pescadero SB
Redwoods
Bean Hollow
SP
SB
Los
Butano
101
Big
Basin
Castle Rock
SP
to
Gatos
SP
Gilroy
Pigeon Pt Redwoods
SP
Morgan Hill
Light
17
Station Año Nuevo
9
Natural Bridges SB
SHP SP/SNR
Lighthouse Field SB
Santa Cruz Mission SHP
Henry Cowell
Twin Lakes SB
Redwoods SP
Forest of Nisene
Marks SP
New Brighton SB
Wilder Ranch
SP
County Bike Trail
P
Sand
Plant Fern
Beach Grotto
WILDER DAIRY
14
12
CULTURAL
PRESERVE
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Wi
8
7
9
to
Santa Cruz
WILDER BEACH
N AT U R A L
Old Cove P R E S E R V E
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Moss Landing SB
Salinas River SB
152
1
Castroville
Major Road
Accessible Feature
Paved Road
Bridge
Unpaved Road
Trail: Accessible
Trail: Hike & Bike
Trail: Multi-Use
Horse Camp
Information
Locked Gate
Park Building
(Hike/Bike/Horse)
Parking
Intermittent Stream
Railroad
Cultural Preserve
Restrooms
Closed to Public
Viewpoint
© 2009 California State Parks (Rev. 2017)
Visitor Center