Sunday, April 29, 2007

FR 895 to Thompson Mesa and Boyer Cabin

4/28/07
We all took a super ride to Boyer Cabin located near the Sierra Ancha Wilderness north of Roosevelt Lake.
The road had recently been bulldozed and widened by the Forest Service to enable them to enhance and access the watershed program atop Thompson Mesa.
Beginning in the late 1800s, Boyer Cabin was the site of a working ranch. The isolated location told us what hearty folks these early ranchers in the area were. We could almost feel their presence as we explored the remaining cabin, bunkhouse, barn and corral. We haven't been able to find much history of Boyer Ranch, but judging by the furnishings left in place, it looks as if it had used as late as the mid 1900s.
We did find mention in several books, that Joseph Boyer was present when the Graham-Tewksbury Feud began in 1886, marking the beginning of the bloody Pleasant Valley War. (cattlemen vs sheepherders)
It was a 12 mile, fairly easy Jeep trip, only rocky in a few spots as the road wended its way through various types of terrain, ranging from rolling hills and low desert cacti to higher elevations with Cottonwoods, Sycamores and Junipers. The only "iffy" part of the jaunt was the road leading off the mesa down into the canyon below. The road narrowed with some pretty good, near-the-edge, drop-offs. The ranch is located in a riparian area, surrounded by huge old shade trees.
The scenery was lovely, morning temperatures were cool, although the warming later in the day reminded us that summer is just around the corner.