From “Life in the Early Days” By James K. Ramstetter (1910-1996). Permission of use granted by Mary Ramstetter.
During the late summer of 1917 there was much excitement in our family as we were moving to our first ranch. During the early years we had moved about quite a bit as our father made his living by working horses. He owned several large draft horses and a few smaller horses for riding and pulling light wagons and buggies. We also had our mother’s piano which she had acquired shortly after finishing high school. We were now going to settle down to our own permanent place raising livestock, crops, and a family.
At the time there was nothing to indicate how floods, heavy snowstorms and fire would affect our future at this new place. A small house and about 400 acres of land made up the ranch. Our father, uncles and some neighbors helped build a large log barn. This barn had to be completed before we could move as a place was needed to store harnesses, saddles and other equipment. Shelter was also needed for the horses. When the barn was finished we moved to the ranch which was about five miles from Golden, located on the Crawford Gulch branch of the Golden Gate Canyon Road. To get to the place, we had to leave Crawford Gulch Road and go over a good sized hill and then down into a valley where the house and barn were located.
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