National Register of Historic Places in Contra Costa County

National Register #81000147: Old Borges Ranch 8 September 2012
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National Register #81000147
Old Borges Ranch
1035 Castle Rock Road
Walnut Creek
Built 1899

Borges Ranch was originally part of the old Spanish land grant Arroyo de las Nueces y Bolbones purchased by Juana Pacheco in 1843. The property, also known as San Miguel Rancho, has remained in the Borges family for four generations. It was still a working cattle ranch when it was listed on the National Register in 1981. At that time, it was the sole surviving ranch in a heavily urbanized area which had been a thriving agricultural community.

Scarcely changed since the beginning of the 20th century, the Old Borges Ranch is a prime example of a rural cattle ranch from the period of late 1890's and early 1900's. In the foothills of Mt. Diablo overlooking and surrounded by the cities of Walnut Creek and Concord, the ranch has preserved its historic integrity and flavor of the old west. It retains the original farmhouse, horse and cow barns, wagonshed, milkhouse, second generation house and woodshed, farm equipment and corrals.

Today, Borges Ranch is managed by the City of Walnut Creek Open Space Division and is open to the public. The ranch serves as a ranger station, maintenance facility, and ranger residence. It is home to numerous animals cared for by the Pleasant Hill 4-H, including goats, sheep, pigs, and chickens. Cattle graze on the hillsides and the corrals are still used for round-ups.

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