Mud Ranch Kigers
About Mud Ranch
Photos of our ranch and horses? Please visit here!
Mud Ranch is a small ranch of 38 acres owned and operated by Simon and Joan Gross. It is located 40 miles west of Redding, California in a small town of 1200 people called Lewiston. Surrounding Lewiston are the lakes of Whiskeytown, Trinity, and Lewiston. Flowing out of Lewiston Lake is the Trinity River and watching out from above them are the Trinity Alps with their snow crested peaks.
Nestled at the top of the Lewiston Valley, overlooking town is a herd of Kiger Mustangs and a small flock of Jacob Sheep.
Although having our foals in the spring was a big learning experience and enjoyable, we have decided that is not what we want to concentrate on anymore. Other areas in our life need more attention and Joan just wants to enjoy being a backyard horseman again. She loves to spoil her "kids!" We will continue to keep this website up for the promotion of the Kiger Mustang as a breed and will be attending local events and clinics with our horses to show how wonderfully versatile they are.
If you want information on the Kigers or good references on where to purchase yours, please don't hesitate to ask and /or contact us just to talk Kigers; MudRanch@gmail.com
HISTORY OF MUD RANCH
Originally called the Mud Valley Ranch, in the mid to late 1800's, it actually included the whole Lewiston Valley and was one of the most well known ranches in the Lewiston area. Owned at that time by partners, George Davis and Christian Frick. These two had built a granary (which was on our 38 acres) and operated it until the death of Christian Frick. The ranch was then passed on to his son, Jesse Frick. After changing hands two more times, it finally rested with a Mr. James Wilson in 1914. At that time the ranch consisted of 350 acres of cultivated land and 300 acres of pasture and timber. After the death of James Wilson and his wife Hattie, the ranch was split in to three between their sons Isaac, Harold, and Charles. From then on, it had been sold off a few more times until the last 38 acres which still belonged to James Wilson's grandson, James Wilson. In 2000, James Wilson died and his widow Bobbie sold the ranch to Simon Gross.
In July of 1999, when Simon had been hoping that the Wilsons would decide to sell what was left of their ranch to him, a fire was lit by the Bureau of Land Management for a 'control burn' and raged through the town of Lewiston burning the oldest standing structure in Trinity County, the Frick and Davis Granary. Simon, himself, being on the Lewiston Volunteer Fire Department watched the building go up in flames. He was driving our oldest engine and had just enough to fill up a CDF engine that was trying to protect the original ranch house which was and is occupied. He had no way of protecting the granary without sacrificing the house. It was a devastating day and we miss that old barn very much. We still have the old rock foundation out in our pasture and a rock memorial outside our fence that tells the history of the granary.
Simon and Joan, loving the history of their ranch decided to bring it back to the name of Mud Ranch.
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31
Watch the progress on our friend and neighbor, Dixie whom has been selected by the Mustang Heritage Foundation to be 1 in 100 competitors in the Extreme Mustang Makeover!
Pinkerton, may you rest in peace
