Kenner Ranch History

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The Ranch had a very interesting visitor/discoverer in the 1870s when this picture was taken--Naturalist John Muir.

Ranch History

Mary Jane Talley, daughter of David Talley and naturalist "partner" to John Muir while he lived on the Ranch.

The Kenner Ranch has been a passion for every owner since its original owner in the 1800s--Ambrosia the Indian and then David Talley, a rancher.

The Ranch is a very special place. It is nestled under the watchful gaze of Julian's North Peak (once Tally's Peak) and lies adjacent to William Heise Park--two significant landmarks of the area. So many Julian residents have had the opportunity to experience the rare and special beauty of this working ranch. Many of their great stories will soon be recanted here.

After the 2004 Ceder fire, practically every owner since the Talleys came back to the ranch to insure that it survived the fire. Obviously, it had a large impact on them as well.

I believe the ranch represents America of the 1800s. Then, we lived by our own skill and self reliance. Somehow, those simple elements of the ranch that made life worth living made it through these past 200 years without significant change. I am certain you will also be touched by its timelessness. This portion of the web site is dedicated to its story.

The Kenner Ranch was homesteaded by an Indian named Ambrosia in the 1800s. At that time the ranch was 600+ acres. Ambrosia apparently made only a small effort to domesticate the ranch. But in the the 1870s, a rancher named David Talley purchased the it from Ambrosia. He was quite successful in the region as a rancher.

As interesting as an indian named Ambrosia must have been, the story starts to get interesting with David Talley.

David Talley had a daughter named Mary Talley. He also had a very special visitor at the ranch during this time, John Muir. John Muir and Mary Talley spent many hours hiking the local woods documenting the flora and fauna.

John Muir later expressed his enjoyment of the Talley Ranch and Mary Talley by creating a woodland scene out of the ferns and other botanical specimens he collected while on the Ranch. He made this picture and a book documenting the ferns of Southern California and Arizona a gift to Mary Talley.