AV Historical POI - Mendel Ranch Traditional Cache

This is a series of caches that showcases historical points of interest in the Town of Apple Valley.
See the list of all the caches in the series: Bookmark List.
See the entire series in Google Earth: KML File.
Download the series: Pocket Query.

Mendel Ranch
Kiowa and Tussing Ranch Roads

In 1939, Florence Mendel of San Francisco moved to Apple Valley with her son, Albert, and purchased 3000 acres. Albert and his first wife, Berenice, obtained government grazing leases for 15,000 additional acres and established Circle M Hereford Ranch where they bred a top strain of purebred white-face cattle. Their two sons attended the original Apple Valley school.

The Circle M Ranch telephone was the only one on a 10-party line between Victorville and Lucerne Valley, and it was not until after Al had paid a substantial sum to bring the line to the area that other local ranches and homes started to join the line.

In 1945 the ranch was opened as the Circle M Guest Ranch, whose guests included Mr. Newton T. Bass. As the federal government began withdrawing grazing leases, the ranch was put out of the cattle business. Guest ranch activity diminished and the ranch became inactive in 1954. Later, the Mendels established the Golden Land Printing Company on site. A Roy Rogers Museum brochure and the Victor Valley College yearbook were among their products.

s the ranch was sold off, a portion was bought by the Apple Valley School District for Mariana School. With this parcel, Mr. Mendel donated an additional five acres with the condition that it be used as a park. The school district later deeded the property to the Parks and Recreation District for development of Mendel Park. A portion of the park was deeded to the Fire District for a much needed fire station.

- From the brochure Historical Points of Interest in AppleValley