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HomeMy WebLinkAbout041326-06.1 Jim Wood (Applicant) PresentationThe Wood Family Charles and Cynthia Wood were early leaders in the Danville community. Charles served as a Justice of the Peace, a Notary Public, and was a member of the California State Assembly in 1875-76. Both he and Cynthia were charter members of the Danville Grange. Charles served as the first Grand Master and was a County Lecturer in the Grange for many years.' They worked hard to establish Woodside (the original name of the Wood Ranch) as their family farm, which originally comprised 700 acres and grew over time to 1,200 acres. They had four children, William Louis, Sarah Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Charles Joseph. Charlotte is a well-known figure in Danville history. She worked on the family farm, taught for 31 years at the Sycamore School, served as the Grange Poet, often hosted parties at Woodside, 4 and wrote of farm life in Sycamore Valley until her passing in 1961. The community honored her service by naming an Intermediate School after her. Charles Joseph (J.) and his wife Kate Howard Wood were also leaders in the Danville community and members of the Grange. Kate was a teacher at Green Valley school. Charles J. was one of the main organizers who established San Ramon Valley Union High School, the first public high school in Danville, and served on the first school Board of Trustees in 1910. He also helped establish the Contra Costa — Alameda Cattleman's Association in 1945. Charles J. and Kate managed Woodside from the 1890's to 1942. They had three sons, Howard, George and Waldo. Charles and George were actively engaged in the effort to establish Mt. Diablo as a state park. a George and his wife Maevis Wood managed Wood Ranch from 1942 to 1968. They were actively engaged in the Danville community and Grange. George was a founding member of the San Ramon Valley Historical Society. They had two sons, David and Donald. Maevis taught at the San Ramon Valley Union High School, Highland School (1944-48), Danville Grammar School, and was the first principal for Montair elementary school (1958-1966). She was a leader in the transition of valley education from one -room schoolhouses to modern grammar schools. 5 Donald and his wife Marianne Wood managed Wood Ranch from 1968 to 2023, including the acreage downsize in the mid -1980's due to the housing influx. They have two children, Jim Wood and Cynthia Wood Rivera. They raised cattle and sheep and produced hay and grain. Donald was an active supporter of the Museum of the San Ramon Valley, and the San Ramon Valley Historical Society, a restorer of old farm equipment, and served as a president of the Contra Costa — Alameda Cattleman's Association. He farmed for others in the area in addition to his own property and often helped other farmers repair their equipment. Jim, his wife Lisa Thomason Wood, their children Emilie and Eric, and Cynthia assisted Donald and Marianne in managing the ranch in their later years and continue to manage and operate the ranch today. The family continues to support the Museum and the Historical Society and Jim served on the Town of Danville Design Review Board for 14 years. Jim and Lisa live on original Wood Ranch property adjacent to the main ranch headquarters on Camino Tassajara. Emilie and Eric currently farm and live at the main ranch headquarters. Horse Barn, Wood Ranch 2023 References: Wood Ranch, 1980 1. The History of Woodside Farm, Charlotte E. Wood, August 1950, unpublished manuscript 2. Wood Ranch Buildings — What I know or have been told, Donald C. Wood, 2021, unpublished manuscript 3. The History of Contra Costa County, California, W. A. Slocum & Co., 1882 4. Danville — Heart of the San Ramon Valley, Beverly Lane, The History Press, 2026 5. Historical Persons and Places in San Ramon Valley, Virgie Jones, Morris -Burt Press, 1977 Wood Family Archives History of the Horse Barn at Wood Ranch Provided by The Wood Family February 2026 The Horse Barn served as a hay and livestock barn for five generations of the Wood family. It is located on Camino Tassajara in the Sycamore Valley of Danville on property purchased by Charles and Cynthia Rice Wood from W. Phillip Mendenhall in 1862. The approximately 7,000 square foot barn was built between 1881-82 and the family has maintained its historic integrity for 145 years. Charles' and Cynthia's daughter, Charlotte Wood, wrote about the history of the barn in 1950: Father had the horse barn built, Brother Louis superintending the work. The carpenters, Mr. Taynton, Mr. Derickson, and Mr. Hanna, were fine workmen and the barn was one of which we were justly proud. For many years there was an attractive cupola surmounting it, but in a severe wind it was blown off and was never rebuilt.' Woodside entrance and Horse Barn, 1894. Wood Family Archives The Horse Barn represents the evolution of cultural developments and economic growth specific to the agricultural period in the history of Danville and broader Bay Area. This period was characterized by intense reliance on human muscle, draft animals, and basic hand tools. The widespread adoption of mechanized agriculture was underway in California during this period, eventually replacing horse -powered operations with steam and then gas -powered machinery, tools, trucks, or tractors. The barn played a key role in the once -common business of agriculture, now providing a rare glimpse into a way of life, industry, community and skills of yesterday. Initially the barn was built to accommodate draft animal and horse -powered farming operations. When the needs of doing business as an agricultural and animal husbandry operation changed over the decades driven by the adoption of engine -powered, mechanized agriculture, the barn was adapted to accommodate new demands. The barn's detailed construction embodies innovative and unique architectural details and craftsmanship including boxed eaves, crown molding barge trim and tongue and groove double -sided sliding doors. The interior is beautiful, highlighting the craftsmanship of the 1880's, incredibly achieved on-site with only hand tools. The double doors at the eaves on both ends are original design and served to allow loose hay to be hoisted into the barn from a wagon below. A custom rope and pulley system powered by horse would lift the hay on a fork up to the doors and into the barn.z The center section of the barn was used to store hay as food for many of the working animals on the ranch. Originally there were stalls for 20 horses and a tack room on the west side. The east side was used for dairy cows and had a stallion pen. A smaller section added on the south side in 1962 was used for saddle horses and cattle.2 And, two big doors on the north end were cut in the 1960s to accommodate forklift hay squeezes that carried in blocks of baled hay. Sheep occupied the east side from the late 1980's to 2020 and The north end has sheltered farm equipment over the years. The Horse Barn is a surviving example of Danville's agricultural past and the meaningful contributions made by the Wood Family to the community from 1862 to the present day. j Jim and Lisa Wood, Horse Barn, Wood Ranch 2023 1 Lt & - Imo...... � 1 1% �r a Ire. .rs-r. wl. Ow 77 v 5 r 45,4 I:u hip— "'Air