"Was The Old Chrysler Ranch"
Located in Garden
Valley, about 4 miles up Marshall Rd. from Hwy 49 & the Gold mining town
of Coloma,
where Gold was first discovered in California in
1848
This
1,312.16 acre ranch was once a cattle ranch. As late as 1972 Elvin
Veercamp was running 300 head of cattle on part of the Ranch. Previously, it was
inhabited by the Maidu/Miwok Indians who lived primarily off of the acorns
dropped in the fall from the large Black Oaks that grace our rolling
grassy hills scattered with oaks, manzanitas, ponderosa, and gray pines.
Rushing, scenic, and year-round scenic Johntown Creek fed them water year-round.
Some of
our residents along Johntown Creek Road enjoy not only creek frontage
but the soothing sound of small waterfalls along the creek bed at night
as everything becomes quiet.
Residents can ride their horse
along side of private meandering roads on grass grass or gravel paths
along the road easements or over the quiet roads or over an
old railroad car bridge and enjoy a small lake where part of the creek has been
dammed.
Road
Assessment is $150/year in Taxes via a Road District.
HISTORY:
In the early 1960s, Joe Angeles, Kenny Wilkinson and Dick Dyer (Dick
developed Swansboro, i.e., also called now the Mosquito Area) are said
to have bought Garden Valley Ranch Estates for about $25 per acre. Now,
over 40 years later, land is selling for about $35,000 to $40,000 per
acre (based on a 5-acre parcel and how useable) Most of the parcels in
Garden Valley Ranch are 5-10 acres and up. There are a few parcels at
2-3 acres. The Ranch is at about 82 percent build-out as a best guess.
***** 
MANY
HORSE and ANIMAL LOVERS ENJOY LIVING AT THE RANCH, SHARING TALES AND
TRAILS WITH FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS
We
enjoy informal living without formal
CC&Rs. Property Owners to abide by County building restrictions,
zoning, and setback lines. Second homes on property must be no more than
1200 sq.ft.
A new requirement is being enforced so that when homes are sold
they must obtain a Certificate of Compliance from the county for the new
buyers.
Garden
Valley Ranch Estates it is composed of 169 rural acreage parcels
and 7.2 miles of paved roads, and many property owners own thousands
of feet on Johntown Creek, while others enjoy back property
lines joining wooded and scenic BLM land.
 The
scenic pond off of Johntown Creek Rd and Lazy Brook Trail, now privately
owned by residents. Below is
a unique bridge made out of an old Railroad Car over the year-round
Johntown creek off of Lazy Brook.
Note: Our residents are a
creative and thrifty group. 
ROAD
ASSESSMENT
The road fee is a tax assessment of $150 a year. It has been kept so
very reasonable because of our dedicated all-volunteer Board of
Directors and Secretary who are also residents of the Ranch. New
residents are encouraged to become
involved and enjoy participation with their neighbors. El Dorado County collects and maintains
our money and pays the bills that the Board of Directors approve and
submit.
REPORT
CARD
Our roads are in good order and we are financially sound and very proud of our finished product.
We are an all volunteer board.
Questions about Johntown Creek use -- the Regional Water Quality Control
Board in Sacramento, CA
may have answers. No longer can residents dam up the Creek without a
permit or special permission so all can enjoy equally.
RANCH
PICTURES
(some from early 90s)
Bill Vazina, who lives on
Johntown Creek on a Shaker Lane
stroll.
Many of the horse folks enjoy undisturbed rides or walks on scenic
Shaker Lane as it is temporarily blocked to cars.
Lloyd
Sally and Harry Infalt
discussing the road issue at a pot-luck
at the Dave & Marie Griffith's on Shaker Lane
in the early 90s 
Here
Ozzie Chamberlain was auctioning off the
old Road Signs, originally hand-made by residents (Lynn Schardt for one)
at a Ranch Gathering. There were replaced, sadly, by the green
"city-like" metal
signs you now see
 . Dave
and Marie Griffith hiked way down Johntown Creek
to this gorgeous Waterfall as Johntown Creek nears the American River
somewhere down Mt. Murphy
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Horse Properties for
Sale
Above Ranchette owned by designer of equine facilities and breeder of Arabians,
Bruce Clark, who formerly owned and designed the Garden Valley
Arabian showplace on Andy Wolf Rd, now called Lacey Arabians. The green spot
barely visible in the middle of Clarks Ranchette is the location of an
artesian well and once a sacred watering hole for the Miwok Indians.
BOARD
OF DIRECTORS
Rick Rhoads, Chair, Johntown Creek Rd
Bruce Grant, Chrysler Circle
Al Capaloto, Johntown Creek Rd
Frank Clark, Beehive Dr
NOTE:
We like to welcome new people
Please e-mail information to resident, Marie Griffith
at
mgriff@buyhorseproperties.com
Formed in 1981,
Garden Valley Ranch Community Services District is composed of five (5) Board
Members who are residents and, currently, a volunteer secretary. Each director is appointed or elected as
necessary for a 4-year term. All directors being residents within Ranch
have a vested interest to operate the business of the Road District to the
best of his or her ability and conscience . The District duties are to maintain the 7.2 miles of roadway and drainage
ditches, traffic control, and identification signs, using funds generated by the annual assessment tax
from the 169 parcels within the Ranch. The District holds quarterly business meetings
(2nd Tuesday of the Month) and residents of the Ranch are encouraged to express their concerns regarding their roadway maintenance at any of these
meetings. The agendas for the meetings, time and place are posted on each of the cluster mailboxes within the ranch and at the
Garden Valley Post Office on Marshall road, 72 hours before the meeting
date. PREVIOUS
GARDEN VALLEY RANCH
RESIDENTS WHO HAVE EITHER SERVED ON
OUR BOARD OR WHO HAVE VOLUNTEERED AT THE RANCH IN VARIOUS CAPACITIES
(*=Extra
special thank you
for contribution in hours donated to
this community)
Betty Steel
Cecil Jones
*Ozzie Chamberlain
Dorothy Chamberlain
*Larry
Poindexter
*Don Swayze
Helen Swayze
*Lloyd Sally
Curt Sally
Gene Taylor
Bob Hansen
*Jim Schardt
*Lynn Schardt
* Rick
Rhoads
*Mary Lynn
Rhoads
Bruce Grant
Al Capaloto
Frank Clark
*Fran
Clark
Claire MacKensie
Beverly Jones
Joe Michey
Walter Elrod
Bill Rathaus
Rebecca Cuts
*Robin Ramsay
Ken MacLaurin
Linda Crowton
Ann Regaller
Thomas McConnell
Marie Griffith
Harry Infelt
Don Madison
Cliff Beam
Plus several others . . .
Who was missed?
email
mgriff@buyhorseproperties.com
Many of the homes in the Ranch are one-story ranch
style homes. A few are modular homes.
Below is one of the few logs homes which fits in
nicely with all the oaks
Winter scene. We rarely get more
than an inch or two of snow a year, if that
Cluster
Boxes to right in picture
and School Bus Gathering Place at left
at corner of Roller Coaster and Chrysler Circle
Close
up of bus stop at corner of picture above
with children waiting for bus ready of Halloween party.
Two of the children are from the Jim Schardt family when
much younger. These bus stops were made by the
students at Golden Sierra High School as a
community service.
MORE PICTURES `
Email us for a Referral to
a horse property specialist
for Garden Valley Ranch
www.BuyHorseProperties.com
Properties Available in
Garden Valley Ranch
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