Hart Flat/Old West Ranch??

[riceme]

Originally Posted by Hart Flat

Riceme-- do you know Brent S.? Your description of surviving the fire sounds just like his description.

Hart Flat, do you know Jerry and JoAnn W. who live in your neck of the woods?

[KKENNERS]

i come from a small town in colo and I am in the process of purchasing a parcel of land on blackburn canyon. i understand the privacy that small towns have. i am looking for the same solitude that the residents of OWR already have. My family has passed on and i just wanna be left alone. What can or should i expect once i get there ? i do believe in small town closeness and miss that from years ago.

[riceme]

KKenners: OWR and Blackburn Canyon burned last summer. Have you seen the property you're thinking of buying recently?

[OWROWNER2]

The Old West Ranch is a beautiful, but sometimes troubled mountain area above Tehachapi. One Side of the the OWR faces Tehachapi City, and the other half faces an adjoining area called Oak Creek.

We own several acres on the OWR. (My grandfather holds the oldest deed sice the early 1900's). It use to be a cattle ranching area, but as time progressed, land owners and squatters have called OWR their home. In a sense, some of the folks who live up there do so to stay away from the city hoopla. I personally know a couple men who live on the mountain because they simply do not mix with city folks.

It is true, some of them are Hermits, some are Squatters, and there are some who are very freindly land owners or residents.

In regards to the West Fire, it was sad to see that many people lost their homes, but please note that a VERY small portion of the OWR was burnt (I would guess about 10-15%), and those homes that were burnt were old trailers, campers, or mobile homes, so the monetary value of the loss was not extreme.

I would not reccommend someone to live on the OWR over living in Hart Flat or somewhere else. The residents who do act out on visitors seem to act on paranoya and also seem to be single men who live like Hermits. A good friend of my fathers had the air let out of his tires while out on a hike, we've had people tail us as we enter the OWR (when they are not familiar with a vehicle), and some of the guys get restless when visitors approach because they are squatters and have no right to be there.

The OWR is a funny place and it takes getting to know the locals for you to be comfortable....but once you get to know (most) of the guys, they are real fun to talk with. Hope this information helps.

[ChildhoodMemories]

OWROWNER2 .... thank you for your last post! I realize this is a VERY old thread so I hope you get this message. My uncle was one of those WELL established "mountain men" that lived smack dab in the middle of the ranch. We've been visiting the property off and on and found out we had squaters. I'm going to be visiting the property more often (hopefully). I know that everyone DOES keep an eye out because my uncle's phone was ringing by the time we got there! My question /concern is with the newcomer issue. My uncle has had his property up there for over 40 years. I don't want to get my tires slashed when I come to visit because I look like I don't belong. I understand the paranoia.... when we showed up for our visit yesterday we found out the truck and generator were stolen. Any advice on how I should proceed when I go up there to work on the property?? I know neighbors keep watch (which is AWESOME) but I don't want my tires slashed!
(I know you know which property this is, I'd rather not announce publicly to the world, we don't need any more big red arrows lol )