The death of Walter Mondale brings back strong memories of when many other Mendocino County residents and I had a firsthand face-to-face meeting with the late Vice-president up at the Ridgewood Ranch outside of Willits. The connection is that Mrs. Mondale sat on the board of directors of the Seabiscuit Foundation. In addition, the US Post office put out a Seabiscuit stamp. All the attendees received a complimentary stamp.
My connection to this entire meeting was twofold. First, a sculpturer had made a life size bronze statue of Seabiscuit. The statue toured across the US. Some publicity was in my local paper because Sonoma County Fairgrounds has a horse racetrack. That is a connection to why the bronze statue stopped here before going on up to the Ridgewood Ranch in Willits to be permanently placed. Seabiscuit was raised at the ranch and is buried there.
The second connection is that my grandfather, Pearle Crawford, with his partner Floyd Banker owned the Ukiah Auto Supply Dealership. The dealership sold Buick and Star automobiles. Buick automobiles are still in production. Star automobiles were produced by the Durant Motor Company between 1922 and 1928. Charlie Howard (also known as the benefactor for Howard Memorial Hospital) had the entire brokerage for Buick cars in the State of California. He also owned the Ridgewood Ranch in Willits and a stable of horses including Seabiscuit. I found a watch at my ranch with the cover engraved to Pearle Crawford (my grandfather’s name) from Howard Motor Car Company. I gave the watch to the Ridgewood Ranch Historical Society for display. They were more than happy to have this historic artifact.
Tragedy struck the auto dealership in the 1920s. A fire destroyed the building and dealership located on South State Street. My grandfather was partially deaf and it was hard for him to hear conversations relating to car sales. He decided to sell his interest to Banker. He then devoted all his time to farming. If my grandfather had stayed in the sale of cars I would most likely be a used car salesman today, instead of a grape grower.
So, my grandfather bought a piece of property at Largo right next to his father’s property. This was done some time in the 1930s. The ranch consisted of pears, prunes, and grapes with a few sheep on the hillside.
I moved onto the property in the 1940s and have been there ever since. The property was split between my brother, mother, and myself in 1980. I later bought out my mother and brother. I have physically farmed it until just a few years ago when I developed a mobility problem. I have a very active productive cousin who has been farming the property since 2020. Our arrangement allows me to see what he is doing without being physically active.
It is always a wonder to me how we live with turn of events that shape our lives.
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