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Douglas Lake Ranch: How a Nicola Valley Homestead Became Canada's Biggest Cattle Ranch

From John Douglas's 320-acre homestead in 1872 to a holding of more than 200,000 hectares, Douglas Lake grew with each new owner.

What is Douglas Lake Ranch?

Douglas Lake Ranch, run by the Douglas Lake Cattle Company, is in British Columbia's Nicola Valley and is described as Canada's largest working cattle ranch. Officials describe holdings of more than 200,000 hectares, or 500,000 acres, including leased and titled land. Cowboys manage up to 20,000 head of cattle, according to the Wikipedia article on the Douglas Lake Cattle Company.

The company's ranch overview page dates its history to the mid-1880s. It also produces over 45,000 tonnes of feed a year, mainly silage, and farms over 2,800 hectares, or 7,000 acres, of irrigated cropland.

When was Douglas Lake Ranch founded?

Sources differ on the date. The company's own history page is headed Est. 1884, while the Wikipedia article says the company was founded June 30, 1886, the day that marked completion of the last leg of the first transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway line. Its name goes back to 1872, when John Douglas Sr. homesteaded 130 hectares, or 320 acres, on the lake. He sold in 1884 to Charles Beak.

Beak, Joseph Greaves, Charles Thomson and William Ward founded the company. Beak sold his interest in 1892, and Ward bought out Greaves and Thomson in 1910. By 1910 the ranch covered about 45,000 hectares.

Who has owned Douglas Lake Ranch?

The Ward family owned and managed the ranch until 1940. Colonel Victor Spencer and William Studdert bought it in 1950, and Frank Ross joined as a third owner by April 1951, with Studdert later selling his share to Spencer and Ross. In 1959 Charles Woodward, known as Chunky, and John West bought it from Spencer and Ross, and Woodward became sole owner after West died in 1968. By the early 1950s the ranch had over 59,000 hectares of deeded land.

The Woodward family sold to Bernard J. Ebbers in 1998, and Stan Kroenke bought the ranch from Ebbers in 2003, after WorldCom's bankruptcy.

How has the ranch grown?

The company has added several ranches in recent years: Alkali Lake Ranch in 2008 at 15,000 hectares, James Cattle Company in 2012 at 8,900 hectares, Quilchena Cattle Company in 2013 at 11,000 hectares, and Riske Creek Ranching in 2015. It has also acquired the historic Gang Ranch, and the Douglas Lake ranch history page places those among the ranches now in the Douglas Lake family.

The ranch breeds American Quarter Horses for its own remuda. It won the AQHA Best Remuda award in 2004 and the Legacy Award in 2013. Its horses Stardust Desire and Peppy San became NCHA World Champions. The company also improves its cow herd through performance-based genetic selection, and offers fishing, lodging and camping.

What Made It Work

Douglas Lake grew by combining land, feed and capital. The record shows a ranch that bought neighboring operations rather than waiting for the herd alone to expand.

Access to land has also had costs: a dispute over public access to Stoney and Minnie lakes went to the courts.

  • Partners with capital: the 1880s founders brought four partners together before Ward bought out others in 1910.
  • Family continuity: the Ward family held the ranch to 1940 and the Woodwards for decades after 1959.
  • Growing feed: more than 45,000 tonnes of feed a year and 2,800 hectares of irrigated cropland support the herd.
  • Buying neighbors: Alkali Lake, James, Quilchena and Riske Creek all joined between 2008 and 2015.
  • Diversifying: quarter horses, fishing, lodging and a general store sit alongside the cattle.

Learn more about Douglas Lake Ranch

In the public access dispute over Stoney and Minnie lakes, the Wikipedia article reports that the B.C. Supreme Court ruled for the company in 2020 and that a unanimous Court of Appeal panel later overturned the lower court's order, allowing the company to restrict access to those lakes. The wording of the source is unclear on the sequence, so check the court decisions for details.

For more ranch reading, see the ranching section of farm.FM and a farm.FM story about a British Columbia cattle ranch.

Timeline

  1. 1872John Douglas Sr. homesteads 320 acres on Douglas Lake
  2. 1884Douglas sells to Charles Beak
  3. 1886Company founded June 30, per Wikipedia
  4. 1910Ward buys out Greaves and Thomson
  5. 1950Spencer and Studdert buy the ranch
  6. 1959Charles Woodward and John West buy it
  7. 1998Woodward family sells to Bernard Ebbers
  8. 2003Stan Kroenke buys the ranch

Frequently asked questions

How big is Douglas Lake Ranch?

Officials describe holdings of more than 200,000 hectares, or 500,000 acres, including leased and titled land. Cowboys manage up to 20,000 head of cattle.

Who owns Douglas Lake Ranch?

Stan Kroenke bought the ranch from Bernard Ebbers in 2003. Earlier owners included the Ward family until 1940 and Charles Woodward from 1959.

When was Douglas Lake Ranch founded?

Sources differ: the company's site says 1884, and Wikipedia says June 30, 1886. John Douglas Sr. first homesteaded the lakeshore in 1872.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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