well. The dairy remained in operation for a while, probably producing Grade B 

 cream. A mortgage on the ranch became delinquent, and Langdon invoked the 

 Frazier-Lempke Act to protect himself from foreclosure by the Bank of San 

 Rafael. The U. S. District Court took over financial control of the ranch, but 

 Langdon 's problems were far from over. The Langdon's marriage was breaking 

 up, according to Jack Mason, and Mrs. Langdon and her daughters labored at 

 manufacturing muslin shirts in her living room. Langdon reportedly offered to 

 sell the ranch to neighbor Lee Murphy for $90,000, but was turned down. 

 Langdon published an illustrated brochure, touting the ranch as "one of the 

 most magnificent country estates in all America." But finally, the bank 

 foreclosed on its $212,000 mortgage, then bought the ranch and livestock at an 

 auction on the steps of the county courthouse for $125,000, and put Bear Valley 

 Ranch up for sale. The Langdons remained at the ranch, hanging on through 

 red tape and perseverance, until they were evicted by the Marin County sheriff 

 on April 23, 1943; the ranch had just been sold to Eugene Compton of Nevada, 

 who had plans for the place. 173 



Well-known and wealthy cafeteria magnate Gene Compton bought Bear 

 Valley Ranch from the Bank of San Rafael on April 21, 1943 and took possession 

 soon after. Compton, like Rapp had done 20 years earlier, undertook an 

 improvement and expansion program that included tearing down the large old 

 W Ranch house that had been used as a horse barn and replacing it with a 

 dairy foreman's residence and a bunkhouse. Compton hired Woodacre 

 contractors Philpott & Bell to build a residence for the ranch manager, Charlie 

 Schramm, across Bear Valley Creek from the ranch complex, as well as a horse 

 barn, garage, equipment shop, and meat house. Up at the Rapp house, a horse 

 barn and garage apartment were constructed. The huge old milking barn, in 

 use as a hay barn since Rapp improved the dairy in the 1920s, was stripped to 

 the frame, given a substantial concrete foundation, and re-sided with horizontal 

 v-groove siding. Compton built a new hay barn between the old one and the 

 milking barn. No doubt Compton knew people in the right places, as such large 

 private construction projects so soon after the war were rare because of lack of 



173, 



Mason, Historian, pp. 792-795; San Rafael Independent. October 18, 1938; Marin Journal. 

 October 20, 1938; booklet, "Bear Valley Rancho," ca. 1938, PRNS. 



302 



