the ranch for $54,000 to his friend Samuel J. Stewart of Nicasio. Stewart had 

 been running dry cows on the Dickson ranch for a number of years. 121 



The Stewart family did not occupy the ranch until 1932; Dickson's lease 

 to Willie J. Wilson ran until 1925. Between 1926 and 1929 the Stewarts did not 

 milk cows on the ranch but ran cattle and grew hay. For a short time in 1929- 

 30 they rented the ranch to Point Reyes dairymen John and David McClure, 

 who had lost their ranch by condemnation to RCA. Meanwhile, Samuel Stewart 

 leased the V. J. Bloom ranch to the north to supplement his family's dairy 

 operation, but was killed when kicked by a horse he owned; his daughter and 

 son-in-law Henrietta and Tom Greer continued operation of that ranch. 

 Stewart's son Boyd moved to the former Dickson ranch in 1932 and began 

 extensive development and improvements. 122 



Boyd Stewart, born in Nicasio in 1903, had a Stanford University 

 education when he came to run the family ranch. He was married to Joseffa 

 Conrad, an educated woman who helped the family finances during the 

 depression teaching music and holding a job. Stewart employed the latest 

 knowledge in ranch improvements and was in many ways ahead of his time. 

 The Stewart Ranch upgraded its dairy to Grade A in 1935, when contractors R. 

 E. Murphy and Son built a sanitary barn. The following year they built a 

 concrete silo for corn storage, growing corn on flats until 1952. The Murphys 

 also built a sizeable stable for the Stewart family's many horses, a large shop 

 building near the site of the fallen barn of 1868, and various residences for farm 

 hands and sheds. The house had been damaged in a fire around 1931. An 

 addition was made to the Olds residence and parts were remodeled; Mrs. 

 Stewart actively remodeled the house and landscaping. Stewart also bought 

 wooded property on the west side of the ranch to obtain a sufficient water 

 supply. 



Stewart and his wife Joseffa raised a daughter, Jo Ann, at the ranch. Jo 

 Ann took over the dairy business after graduating for University of California at 

 Davis in 1950. The Jersey dairy expanded from 175 cows in 1950 to up to 280 

 at the time the dairy business ceased in 1972. Jo Ann Stewart kept the ranch 

 in excellent condition, winning numerous incentive awards from her milk 



""Deeds Book 176, p. 153 and Official Records Book 54, p. 458, MCRO. 



122 Information on the Stewart years at the ranch is from interviews with Boyd Stewart, Jo Ann 

 Stewart and Henrietta (Stewart) Greer. 



219 



