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For many centuries the Native Americans would migrate from the hot central valley in the Spring and Summer to these rolling hills to hunt, gather and fish. This may have been attributed to the American River which flows through the area. I read that allot of times the natives and early pioneers came up here to cool down. It was not uncommon back in the day to see an old timer napping in a hammock under one of the many large trees found here especially after the Gold Rush which begin in 1849 along the South Fork of the American River. More then likely the Mormons who came to the region in 1848 were some of the first Europeans to camp and step foot on todays Cronan Ranch!

A man by the name of William Bacchi left his home town of Canto Ticino in 1851 coming to America in hopes of striking it rich. Not every man who crossed the great ocean ended up doing so therefore early pioneers may have tried a hand in other fields. In this case Bacchi was one of those men that did not strike it rich but had acquired land and cattle in El Dorado Country which led to the beginnings of his Bacchi Ranch in 1856. Some men found it more lucrative to run a ranch in the gold rush because many of the local towns were growing therefore people needed livestock, beef and poultry. The Sierra Foothills also known as gold country was full of ranching, orchards and farms but more then often when you think of gold rush you think mines not the ranchers who helped sustain the miners who worked in them.

Ranching was extremely important during the days of the gold rush as most of you are aware you had to feed the miners at all these small camps. Farmers had to grow crops and raise livestock in order to provide local mining towns in Folsom Lake, Salmon Falls, Hangtown and Old Centerville aka Pilot Hill with a food subsistence. Therefore the ranch started off with heads of cattle as over the years more or less its transitioned into a sheep ranch. I read that some crops were grown here but mainly the land was used for livestock as it provided many open pastures perfect for grazing. Sheep and Cattle were not the only thing to graze here their are allot of eagles and hawks that scan the fields for rodents.

Back in the day around the same time the ranch was started a post office would be established in 1854. Many of the men did travel to these hills to ranch but more so to placer mine. Just a few years after the ranch was in full operation two miners found a giant boulder of quartz loaded with gold where a San Francisco assay said it contained nearly 2k in gold shillings. The problem was is the area had a bit of a water shortage but the local Pilot and Rock Creek tributeries not far from the ranch drew in a small population. Therefore, ranches sprung up in the area surrounding the creek and its mines thus Centerville was born. It is easy to see that water is not abundant by looking at our photos of the hills despite the river and other creeks being nearby. Therefore most of the hillsides are rather brown and very little has changed since the 1800's here. With that being said Centerville would be short lived but places like the Cronan Ranch remind us of what once was and how significant a ranch like this would have been.

Another local ranch just up the road known as the Bayley House also known as Bayley's Folly was built by an Alcander A. Bayley in 1862 just up the road from the CronanRanch a few years later. Bayley ran the Oak Valley House which was a restaurant, saloon and hotel from 1851-1861 which a fire destroyed. Bayley around the same begin the construction of a three story brick mansion which may have been the grandest building in the state at the time. The mansion had twenty two rooms, two grand ball rooms, wine cellar and a few rooms guest could stay at while visiting Pilot Hill. Bayley always believed that the Central Pacific Railroad would pass close by his hotel however the railroad ended up changing it route bypassing the area completely. The closest it actually came to the Bayley House is owning the land up the road where the Cronan Ranch is located. Since Bayley also had was involved in ranching besides operating his hotel its more then likely he knew the Bacchi family!

The ranch itself was located in the semi ghost town of Centerville also referred to as Pilot Hill for those who are interested in doing some hiking out here. Not much remains of old Centerville which was a mining camp at one time but the historic Bayley House, Old Pilot Hill Graveyard and of course this historic ranch you see found throughout our pages. I feel that all these projects are very important to reveal some of the towns best kept secrets of this old 1850 gold rush town which sparked just outside of Coloma California. Sometimes these towns get lost or consumed by modernization Pilot Hill happens to be one of those boom towns that continues to grow with newly built homes but allot of the early gold rush history has been lost with the exception of the locations we have done extensive research at.

In 1887 a couple decades after the gold rush life on the ranch slowed down and the land was acquired by the Central Pacific Railroad through a federal land patent in 1887. The railroad more then often purchased land because they always were looking to expand their reach by building spurs and shortlines to nearby towns. Since the railroad had very little use for the ranch land a Michael Cronan ended up acquiring the property in 1891 till about 1918 when it was sold to a George and James Murphy. The Murphy Family did use the ranch till about 1945 when they resold it to Francis and Byron Bacchi for inclusion at he Bacchi Ranch.

That portion today would be sold in 2004 to be used in creating a park for hikers, mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiast. The ranch land surrounding the park today is still very much in use therefore you will see herds of sheep grazing and dogs protecting them from predators. So bare in mind if you decide to hike here if you stop to take photos its quite possible the dogs will chase you away if they see you as a threat to the flock.

Some of the ranch hands including members of the Bacchi Family are buried just up the road in the old Pilot Hill Cemetery. Most of the folks who are buried there were some of the first pioneers whom came to the area or had been affiliated with ranching in the area. Technically the Cronan Ranch is one of the oldest farms in El Dorado County. What most of you may see are rolling forested hills but if you were to really look at the ranch as a whole it is historically significant in every way. Without the livestock, crops or the existence of such a ranch some towns or mining camps rather would have ceased to exist.

One of the more interesting sites of interest found deeper within the ranch is an old movie set which was used in the movie known as "Love Comes Softly" which was a western that was released in 2003 through the Hallmark Network. It was directed by Michael Landon Jr. starring Katherine Heigl. The ranch house along with all the other structures surrounding it can be seen in this movie. I posted a copy of it on our movie set page with photos so you could get a feel for what a wild western ranch may have looked like back in the 1800's. Today the movie set is quite dilapidated but it still stands and really is an iconic site found within this park. If you did not do your research before visiting the Cronan Ranch you may have thought that this was remnants of an early existing ranch rather then a movie set for a film.

As I am sure their are tales of the ghost that haunt these hills over the years on occasion their are some tales of bigfoot. Its hard to believe that bigfoot might roam above the Sacramento Valley but the fact remains that even on this ranch are undiscovered places where something unknown may wander the hillsides in search of an occasional sheep for dinner. Of course bigfoot sightings persisting decades ago before Pilot Hill was truly developed into a series of neighborhoods who enjoy the more rural life but yet are within reaches of the big city below.

Its very hot here and dry so if your going to hike around you need to bring plenty of water and utilize the trees for some shade. I found a bunch of wild berries growing near the river which is a reminder of why Bigfoot is often seen along it. Because such creatures have access to fresh water, edible berries and the local deer that graze the hillsides. So before anyone ask why I would even mention the existence of such a cryptid roaming these hills this is something that has to be taken into consideration.

Not much remains of Old Centerville let alone the original ranch but its more then likely that so very little has ever changed even when the natives hunted and fished here. These hills which once were home to thousands of heads of cattle are still used today therefore the ranch has truly always been in operation to a certain extent. The American River still flows as mighty as it always will and has been! The ghosts of the miners, pioneers and natives who braved this vast frontier may haunt these hills. Today its not uncommon to still see an old timer enjoying a cool breeze while relaxing under a shady tree. You can visit the original owners graves of this ranch just up the road at the towns historic graveyard back in the day when you died you were buried up on a hill above town. Its one of those places that was home a family who made lives here and lived those lives out in these hills leaving behind today small bread crumbs of early ranching history in the region that led to the gold rushes growth in the region.
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Lord Rick aka AngelOfThyNight
PGS Founder
Author, Talk Show Host, Producer and Paranormal Investigator

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