Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch has pioneer roots that trace back to Durham, England where George Penman II was born in 1826, and his brother Robert in 1830. George senior lived his entire life in England. But the Penman brothers sought adventure and opportunity in America, so in 1850 they sailed to New York, along with their wives Sarah and Mary Ann. (The history of the Penman clan has some ambiguities, and it is possible that they sailed one or two years earlier, and married their wives in America, not in England.)

After a rough sea journey, they spent some time in Virginia before joining a wagon trained for Kentucky. The country and people met their liking and they stayed in Kentucky to work and replenish their provisions while Robert’s wife Mary Ann gave birth to their son, William, in 1851.

Two years later they journeyed to St. Louis, Missouri where Mary Ann gave birth to John Thomas in 1853. When little John was only two months old they “pulled stake” and continued on to California – a hard wagon journey of seven months – finally arriving in Mohawk Valley, Plumas County, California.

Here the two families settled. The brothers found jobs in the local mines, and eventually established farms in Mohawk Valley. George Penman II and his wife Sarah raised nine children, seven girls and two boys. Coincidentally, Robert and Mary Ann also produced nine surviving children; also seven girls and two boys!

In 1865 George Penman II filed for a Homestead. A description of the parcel, of about 160 acres, can be found in the Recorder’s office in the County Courthouse in Quincy. Unfortunately, the legal description is so vague that the exact boundary of the homestead is uncertain. According to these records, George Penman’s ranch was south of the Feather River. However, research shows that the ranch also included property north of the River. It is believed that George built a log cabin on what is now the site of the Feather River Inn.

Not to be left out, Robert Penman filed a Homestead claim in 1867 for property in Mohawk Valley where he had already built a house and started a farm. Robert’s tract appears to have been south of the River.

At about this time Robert’s family became close friends of George Woodward, a carpenter from Pennsylvania. George Woodward had married Martha Portman in 1857. Martha was Mary Ann Penman’s sister. Martha was previously married and had a daughter when she left England in 1856, but both had perished in the voyage around Cape Horn. Arriving in San Francisco as a 20-year-old widow, she traveled to Sacramento, and eventually Mohawk Valley, to reunite with her sister Mary Ann. The two families lived close together.

While Robert and George were raising their families, George Penman II bought a ranch two miles east of Spring Garden in 1868. This tract was originally known as the Misenheimer Station, and contained a small log cabin. George moved his family to this property, which became known as the Penman Ranch, and later the Gill Ranch, and eventually the present day Greenhorn Ranch. Here he raised vegetables and beef for his family. It also appears that he did a certain amount of mining on Jamison Creek. He also built a home and large barn from hand-hewed timber. Unfortunately these original structures did not survive a tragic fire in the 1940’s.

From here the record of the ranch is vague, but it appears that the property was sold one or more times, eventually ending up with the Gill family, who operated a goat farm until selling the ranch to the White Pine Lumber Company in 1920. At about this time two frame houses and several cabins were built near Estray Creek. The Roberts and Cotter families lived in the two houses, while the cabins were for employees. A mill site was constructed in the lower meadow, but burned to the ground in 1925.

 

The ranch was repeatedly sold many times in the intervening years. One of the owners, L. Avilla, built a milk barn, also in the lower meadow. Then in 1947, L. J Fallon and his wife Ruby purchased the ranch and began to modernize the property and buildings. Later in the 1960’s, an owner came up with the idea of turning the Greenhorn into a guest ranch.

In the following years the Ranch changed ownership several times, until finally Ralph and Trish purchased it in 2000. Since then, the Greenhorn has become a nationally and internationally known vacation spot, well known for its hospitality, down-home cooking, and relaxing ‘away from it all’ atmosphere. We invite you to join us and see for yourself why everyone loves Greenhorn Creek Guest Ranch!

Happy Trails!