Tejon Ranch Company

Established in 1843 as a Mexican land grant, this land has seen its share of trappers, settlers, outlaws and soldiers, as well as stagecoach lines and a short-lived US Camel Corps. (Alas, the creatures proved a bit undisciplined for the military.) Historic pioneers such as Jedediah Smith, Kit Carson and John C. Fremont explored Tejon’s frontier. With additional land grant purchases by founder General Edward Fitzgerald Beale, an explorer and historic California figure, the Ranch grew. And over the decades, raised crops and animals that included sheep, cattle and ostriches for their plumes. (A flapper-era fashion statement, but ostriches proved ornery too.) Now, a new chapter of the Tejon Ranch story begins.