Gang Ranch
The Gang Ranch is a famous and historic Canadian ranch in the Chilcotin region of the Central Interior of British Columbia. It sits AbOUT north of Clinton on the West bank of the Fraser River opposite The INDIAN Reserve community of Dog Creek.
It is the largest ranch in North America. The Gang Ranch, near Alkali Lake, is also very old starting in 1863. The Churn Creek Protected Area is also nearby.
Two American brothers Thaddeus and Jerome Harper came from Harpers Ferry Virginia, via California, to the BC Cariboo Gold Rush. They mined in Yale, and lived in Victoria for a bit. At one point they were accused of supporting the rebel Confederacy and plotting against the nearby North. (One account suggests that they were asked to leave the border area of BC.) Not finding the metal, they settled down in 1863 on the west bank of the Fraser River--some miners worked their way up the Fraser River seeking gold and thus found the remote area—and the Harpers installed a gang plow. From this the Gang Ranch began its long operation and name. The Harpers made an agreement with the Chilcotin Indian Kalalest whereby the land the confluence of the Chilcotin and Fraser Rivers was divided between the Native and Harpers. The Harpers would drive cattle from Washington or Oregon, hundreds of miles on the hoof, northwards to feed the hungry gold miners. One drive was made from Utah. The brothers bought and sold stock, and land. In this they moved around at first. The town of Horsefly was first called Harper's Camp where a steam sawmill was set up. With this cattle enterprise, the brothers took their fortune and expanded the Gang Ranch.
The Harpers had misfortune including being kicked by a horse, and a severe winter in 1878 which killed thousands of head. Despite this the brothers persevered. In 1883 they bought of Chilcotin land from the Government. The brothers also had rangeland at Hat Creek, Cache Creek and Kamloops it is said to the tune of .At first operating under the Canadian Ranching Company name. The brothers ran into financial trouble and the Western Canadian Ranching Company was sold to an English partner, Galpin, of theCassell publishing house in 1891.
In the late 1970s the ranch was bought by Alsager Holdings. This was the first time in many years that the ranch had been Canadian owned and television news crews came out several times from Vancouver, to the ranch, to cover the story of the ranch's Canadian ownership and it's subsequent fall into receivership. Dale Alsager and his wife lived on the ranch in a house they built at the headquarters. Lonnie Jones was the Manager and Cowboss at about that time. He rode and made camp with the cowboy crew. Bob Munsey from Paulina, Oregon was the Cowboss before Lonnie Jones took over.
See also
- Douglas Lake Cattle Company
- List of historic ranches in British Columbia