Yesterday's Second Round of Tres Hermanos Ranch Tours

With a waiting list of a few hundred persons from the inaugural tours, held last September, of Tres Hermanos Ranch, owned by the City of Industry and adjacent to Carbon Canyon in the cities of Chino Hills and Diamond Bar, the governing body, the Tres Hermanos Conservation Authority (TRCA) offered a second route of visits to the ranch yesterday.

Four groups were ferried into the property from the nearby Diamond Bar Community Center and made three stops during a warm morning, learning about the management, natural history and cultural history of the ranch.  We'll see when and what future offerings will be, but there is certainly strong community interest in this remarkable place.

To read more about yesterday's excursions, check out: https://homesteadmuseum.blog/2024/06/15/tres-hermanos-ranch-tour-postview-william-benjamin-scott-1868-1920/.

A Photo Recap of the First-Ever Public Tours of Tres Hermanos Ranch

It was a beautiful day today out at Tres Hermanos Ranch, the 2,445-acre parcel administered by an Authority composed of the cities of Chino Hills, Diamond Bar and Industry, as the first-ever public tours of this amazing property, situated just north of Carbon Canyon, were offered.

Authority officials and staff from the three cities did a great job of organizing and carrying out this initial offering, for which the available 104 seats were snapped up in a matter of minutes, with some 400 persons placed on a waiting list.

Tours were held at 9, 10, and 11 a.m. as well as Noon with guests meeting at the nearby Diamond Bar Community Center and transported by bus to the ranch.  Ben Montgomery and Dan Fox, the city managers of Chino Hills, in which 70% of the ranch is situated, and Diamond Bar, which comprises the remaining 30%, rode along on the buses and provided information. 

Their Industry counterpart, Joshua Nelson, who has an extensive engineering background, met visitors at the first stop, the Arnold Reservoir, dating to about 1918, and discussed it and future work to be done to better stabilize and support it. 

 

At the second stop, near some historic barns and outbuildings, yours truly, a Chino Hills resident and director of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, a City of Industry owned and funded historic site, provided a general historical background.

The third and last location was deep in the southern reaches of Tres Hermanos, a beautiful and isolated locale, where Cal Poly Pomona emeritus professor of plant sciences, Dan Hostetler, also a Chino Hills resident, talked about the flora and fauna, past and present, at the Ranch.

Given that this was a first effort, it was remarkably well-run by the dedicated staff of the Authority and the three cities and guests appeared to be astounded and impressed by the ranch and, we hope, the information given by the presenters.

There needs to be an evaluation of the event and consideration of what future possibilities might be entertained for further public access, so those interested in knowing more can periodically check the Authority website.

Meanwhile, for those who want to know more about the early history of the ranch, along with a review of how the day went, please head over to The Homestead Blog for a post covering these topics.

First-Ever Public Tours of Tres Hermanos Ranch on 23 September

Guided tours of Tres Hermanos Ranch, the 2,445-acre property in Diamond Bar and Chino Hills and administered by a joint-powers authority comprised of those two cities and the City of Industry, will be offered to the public for the first time on Saturday, 23 September on the hour from 9 a.m. to Noon.

A 1925 view from near what is now Grand Avenue looking southwest toward the Tres Hermanos Ranch headquarters, left of center on the knoll, and outbuildings to the left.  Courtesy of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum, City of Industry.

Registration for these free 1 1/2-hour visits, focusing on the ranch's history, flora and fauna and more, opens on Tuesday, 5 September at 9 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis with a waitlist established for cancellations. Space is very limited, so, if you're interested in going, make your reservation early. For more information, go to: https://treshermanos.org/2023/08/22/guided-tours-of-the-ranch-offered/.