Sierraville in Sierra County, California, offers remnants of both early ranching and logging. Sierraville is deeply rooted in cattle ranching, with many historic ranches still active today. At any given time you can see working cowboys riding across a field along the highway or throwing bales of hay into their pickup truck.
Sierraville’s Farm and Ranch lifestyle
Sierraville in Sierra County, California, is at the southern end of the huge Sierra Valley, which is used primarily as pasture. It also is at the junction of California State Route 49 and California State Route 89 southwest of Loyalton. This lovely town tucked at the base of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada offers remnants of both early ranching and logging. Sierraville is deeply rooted in cattle ranching, with many historic ranches still active today, and many descendants of the Italian-American families that settled this area in the mid to late-1800s still making a living there. Numerous historic barns and farm houses throughout Sierra Valley date back to the 19th century. Visitors can even stay overnight in historic ranch houses.
Who we are
The Sierra Valley ranches were settled in the 1850s. The ranches provided dairy products, hay and cattle for Truckee and the western Sierra County mines, as well as to the Comstock mines in Nevada in the 1860s. By the 1880s, it was one of the finest agricultural regions of California.
Since 1853, much of the population has been devoted to cattle raising and farming. Many of the existing ranches and barns were built in the 19th century. The lumber industry was also part of this healthy agricultural economy. Sierra Valley timber supplied the Comstock mines, Central Pacific Railroad and California fruit industry from the 1860s to the turn of the century. The early 1900s marked a decline in the timber demands with the closing of mines but the Sierra Valley lumber industry continued to be an important aspect of the economy and culture until the late 20th century.
For More InformationSpeak with an expert in our Olympic Valley Office