[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 63 (Monday, May 7, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRACY RANCH

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 7, 2012

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Tracy Ranch 
on the occasion of its 150th anniversary celebration. The Tracy Ranch 
has made a significant and historical impact on agriculture in Kern 
County. During its 150 year history, the Tracy Ranch has become a 
family-held operation that grows cotton, wheat, potatoes, tomatoes, 
almonds and pistachios. Beef raising rounds out the operations of 
Buttonwillow Land & Cattle Company, a partnership made up of three 
families: the Freys, Selvidges and Tracys.
  The Tracy Ranch legacy officially began in 1862 when Ferdinand Tracy 
and Wellington Canfield formed the partnership Canfield & Tracy, a 
rangeland cattle operation. Their herds roamed the lower San Joaquin 
Valley, grazing on wild grass in an untamed dominion ruled by the likes 
of rattlesnakes, jackrabbits, coyotes and waterfowl. In 1875, Ferdinand 
married Ellen Baker, the widow of Colonel Thomas Baker. In 1898, 
Ferdinand's nephew, William Tracy, established what would be today's 
headquarters and historical park on Wildwood Road, 5 miles northeast of 
Buttonwillow. This era was marked by the raising of Belgian draft 
horses and later, ostriches. His marriage in 1904 to the daughter of 
another pioneer family, Fannie C. Rowlee, would yield six children.
  With the death of William Tracy in 1941, his widow Fannie Tracy 
rallied her widespread children and their spouses back to the ranch. 
The result was a turning point that saved a ranch ravaged by bad luck 
of the 1920s and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Fueled by the 
talents and resources of the Freys, Selvidges and Tracys, made urgent 
by World War II, the ranch was transformed from an equine epoch into a 
mechanized farming operation. Today in the fifth generation, diversity 
is their strength. The Tracy Ranch is respected and should be honored 
for the achievement of their unity.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the hard 
work and dedication that the Tracy Ranch has put forth. Reaching its 
150th year, the Tracy Ranch is joined today by only a handful of other 
surviving Kern County operations with roots going back to early 
California. I congratulate the Tracy Ranch on its many years of 
dedicated and successful work in California, and wish the families many 
successful years to come.

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