The History of Eagle Ranch

A Rich and Colorful History on the Central Coast

The Eagle Ranch was founded by Baron Henry von Schröder in 1882. He named the ranch after a pair of Eagles he found nesting on a steep cliff near the waterfall on the ranch. Over the following 10 years the Baron purchased additional adjoining parcels to create the 2,400 acre Eagle Ranch. While the Baron was not a major historical figure but much of the mystique which surrounds Eagle Ranch can be attributed to the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies of the Baron.

Pre-Historic and Native American Era (Up to – 1769)

The earliest use of the property was likely by Salinan Indians or Chumash Indians as part of their hunting grounds. The property is known to have had good hunting areas and good sources of water. There is archeological evidence of transient uses of the property as well as a more permanent camp at one site on the ranch.

Spanish - Mexican Era (1770 – 1880)

The first known permanent inhabitant of the property is a Mexican family named Siqueiro. They grazed cattle on the property and built a log cabin in the Portreo area, though no remains of the cabin exist today. Maria Siqueiro sold a portion of their property to Albert Frederick Benton, a German immigrant, who built a second house at the current headquarters area. That house stands today as the back part of the superintendent's house which is not currently in use. Mr. Benton's attempts at raising livestock were complicated by poor rangeland and an abundant population of grizzly bears.

Baron Henry von Schröder Era (1882 – 1919)

Baron John Henry von Schröder was a decorated German Baron from a German banking family that still exists today. He voyaged to San Francisco seeking fortune and adventure in America. He met and eventually married Mary Ellen Donahue, the daughter a wealthy railroad tycoon. He is seen in the picture below with two of his children on the ranch. The Baron purchased the ranch in 1882 from the Bentons and the Siqueiros after first visiting the property on a hunting expedition. He purchased the property primarily as hunting preserve but immediately began developing it to additional uses. He constructed an elaborate residence and gardens of European influenced architecture. He constructed a greenhouse, two barns, a granary, and bunkhouse with a blacksmith and carpenter shop (photo below). He planted vegetable gardens, orchards and walnut trees around the headquarters and an elaborate water system to irrigate it. He improved access to the waterfall as a destination for picnics. He created a pool 150' by 30' for the propagation off carp, and built a reservoir for raising frogs. He established a prune orchard and dryer on the Portrero. He built a unique grotto for employee picnics and parties. When World War I began the Baron was called back to Germany and while away, on April 14, 1919 Eagle Ranch property was seized under the Trading with Enemy Act. On July 8, 1919 the Alien Property Custodian sold Eagle Ranch to Frederick Forrest Peabody.

Peabody/Price/Hale Era (1919 – 1964)

Frederick Forrest Peabody from Santa Barbara was a self-made man, amassing considerable fortune with Cluet and Peabody, the parent company of Arrow Collars and Shirts (pictured right). He retired in 1919, the year he bought Eagle Ranch and married Kathleen Burke around the same time and they retired to the ranch. Kathleen persuaded Frederick to decree there would be no more hunting of any sort on the Eagle Ranch and to keep it as a game preserve which it has remained ever since. In 1920 Peabody purchased an additional 1,242 subdivided acres from the Colony Holding Company. This was originally part of a Mexican Rancho land grant prior to the E.G. Lewis 1914 subdivision which created Atascadero.

Mr. Peabody hoped to breed "the finest cattle to be found anywhere in the United States" according to his sales brochure, and developed a heard of 250 Aberdeen-Angus cattle and prize bull Aberlour came from Scotland. (Photo) His efforts were less than successful due to poor topography and soil conditions that exist at Eagle Ranch. During the Peabody era the property was turned into a real showcase. The house was remodeled, the landscaping improved, a show barn was built, another silo and hay barn were added as well as a fully stocked bass pond. (Photos) When Mr. Peabody died in 1927 the property transferred to his wife Kathleen and she was remarried to Girard Hale in 1930. The Eagle Ranch operated at a deficit during the 40's, 50's and 60's and the property's buildings and grounds were neglected and deteriorated significantly. Kathleen Hale died in 1958, leaving the property to Francis Price Jr., the son of the attorney who had worked for their family but had little interest in the ranch. Francis Price Jr. sold the property in 1964 to Mrs. Fred W. Smith.

Smith Era (1964 – Present)

The Smith Era began in 1964 when Mrs. Fred Smith purchased the Eagle Ranch from Francis Price and gave it to her daughter, Helen M. Smith. The Smith–Hobson family has been involved in cattle ranching and agriculture operations for six generations beginning in 1885 in Ventura County. Additional Atascadero Colony Lots were purchased piecemeal by the Smith family in order to control the future residential development within and around the ranch borders. They cooperated with the Forest Service in a trade for Eagle Peak which until then was never a part of the ranch.

In 1972 the Smith Family built the Eagle Ranch dam to create a reservoir for additional irrigated pastures. The family has continued the Peabody's prohibition of hunting on the ranch and has maintained the ranch as a wildlife preserve. The main residence built by the Baron burned down in 1983 due to a lightning strike and only the adjacent Tower House remains of that original structure. Most of the older unused and unneeded buildings currently are in poor condition.

In 1996 Helen Smith placed the property in a trust that was distributed to her four nieces and nephews in 2000. The four siblings have now embarked on the next era for the Eagle Ranch that envisions permanent conservation, adaptive reuse and restoration of buildings, continued viable agricultural operations and compatible residential development that can ensure the viability of the property for the future.

  1. Bibliography