Wilder Ranch

Wilder Ranch Cultural resource survey

Wilder Ranch State Park encompasses 6,903 acres of coastal land situated just west of the City of Santa Cruz. Within the park is a 30 acre Cultural Preserve that features a complex of buildings associated with Coastal Californian agriculture.

Historic electrical conduits associated with a historic pelton water wheel. Wilder Ranch was among the first rural agricultrual properties to pioneer in electric power in around the turn of the century.

The cultural complex is composed of historic resources associated with historic agriculture infrastructure. Character defining features include Victorian Era Architectural Elements, Vernacular 19th and 20th century rural design, early coastal agricultural technology and historic landscaping.

Aloe Agave Plant: beginning with De Anza Party exploration in the mid 18th century, to Jose Bolcoff Spanish Grant Rancho in the 19th century, through the Wilder ownership in the the late 1960s, the property was constitutionally used for agricultural purposes.

Cow Barn Existing Exterior Conditions

North Elevation: note historic hardware and non dimensional redwood side boards

South and West Elevation: note second story board and bat exterior (top left): West Elevation, note lack of battens, and lack of evidence suggesting battens ever existed (top right); East Elevation, note lack of batten siding (lower right)

Cow Barn West Elevation: note second story bats, and condition of non dimensional redwood board siding. It is presumed bat siding was added to the ocean facing west and south elevation on the second story to protect the hay loft storage from weather.

Cow Barn Existing Interior Conditions

Zonotrichia atricapilla (Golden-crowned Sparrow)

Currently the Cow Barn is used for storage to support park opperations

1908 historic graffiti: the interior of the Cow Barn features drawings, painting and carvings in abundance on all interior elevations with dates from the 19th century to modern

Archaeological ground survey of the Cove Trail

Dionne Gruver

Mark Hylkema

Field Survey

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Wilder Ranch Cultural resource survey

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