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Famous Ranches and Stations

Gang Ranch: The Fraser River Cattle Empire That Once Led North America

Started by the Harper brothers on the Fraser River, the Gang Ranch fed gold miners, passed to English owners and later joined Douglas Lake.

What is the Gang Ranch?

The Gang Ranch is a historic cattle ranch on the west bank of the Fraser River in British Columbia's Chilcotin region, about 45 kilometres north of Clinton and opposite Dog Creek. It is near Alkali Lake, and the Churn Creek Protected Area is nearby. For a time it was said to be the largest ranch in North America, and the encyclopedia entry at KnowBC's Encyclopedia of British Columbia gives it more than 16,000 square kilometres of grassland.

The ranch is now described as the second-largest in Canada, after Douglas Lake Ranch, according to a Wikipedia mirror of the Gang Ranch article.

Who founded the Gang Ranch?

The founders were Thaddeus and Jerome Harper, Americans from Harpers Ferry, Virginia, who came north through California during the Cariboo Gold Rush. They mined at Yale and lived for a time in Victoria. After failing to find gold, they settled on the west bank of the Fraser River and installed a gang plow. Sources differ on the date: the Wikipedia mirror says 1863, and KnowBC says 1874.

The article says the brothers made an agreement with Chilcotin leader Kalalest to divide the land at the confluence of the Chilcotin and Fraser rivers between the First Nations and the Harpers. They drove cattle from Washington or Oregon, and once from Utah, to feed gold miners.

How did the Harpers build the herd?

KnowBC records that in 1876 to 1877 Thaddeus drove a herd from the Chilcotin to California through Washington state, described as the longest drive ever made from Canada. A severe winter in 1878 killed thousands of cattle. In 1883 the brothers bought 8,900 acres of Chilcotin land from the government, and their holdings totaled about 38,000 acres, including rangeland at Hat Creek, Cache Creek and Kamloops.

The business operated as the Canadian Ranching Company and was sold in 1891 to an English partner. KnowBC says British financial interests took the ranch over and made extensive improvements, though its preview does not give the date.

English owners and the Western Canadian Ranching Company

Thomas Galpin, a founder of the Cassell publishing house, became the owner, and the business was restructured in 1898 as the Western Canadian Ranching Company, which kept that name until 1952. His son-in-law Jim Prentice was the local representative and was elected to the Legislative Assembly. English owners ran the ranch into the twentieth century, though it was not always profitable, and the Depression and the market crash hurt it.

In the late 1970s Alsager Holdings bought it, marking the first Canadian ownership in many years. The ranch later fell into receivership. Dale Alsager lived on the ranch, and Lonnie Jones was manager and cow boss, following Bob Munsey of Paulina, Oregon, in that role.

What Made It Work

The Gang Ranch grew because it was close to a market that needed beef, the gold fields, and because later owners had capital to expand.

It also shows the limits: a hard winter in 1878 killed thousands of cattle, and later owners found profits uneven.

  • Supplying miners: the Harpers drove cattle north from the United States to feed Cariboo gold seekers.
  • Long drives: Thaddeus Harper's 1876 to 1877 drive to California reached beyond local markets.
  • Spreading land: the Harpers' holdings included rangeland at Hat Creek, Cache Creek and Kamloops.
  • Outside capital: English owners funded improvements and the company restructuring of 1898.
  • Costs and limits: the 1878 winter, the Depression and later receivership show how fragile a large ranch can be.

Gang Ranch today

The Douglas Lake website lists the Gang Ranch among the historic British Columbia ranches added to the Douglas Lake family, as its Gang Ranch history page shows. The sources used here do not describe current operations or the date of that purchase.

For more cattle country reading, see the ranching pages on farm.FM and a farm.FM story about a Cariboo cattle ranch.

Timeline

  1. 1863Harper brothers settle on the Fraser River, per Wikipedia
  2. 1876Thaddeus Harper begins a drive to California, per KnowBC
  3. 1878Severe winter kills thousands of cattle
  4. 1883Harpers buy 8,900 acres of Chilcotin land
  5. 1891Canadian Ranching Company sold to an English partner
  6. 1898Business restructured as Western Canadian Ranching Company
  7. 1952Western Canadian Ranching Company name ends
  8. 1970sAlsager Holdings buys the ranch

Frequently asked questions

Who founded the Gang Ranch?

Brothers Thaddeus and Jerome Harper, Americans from Harpers Ferry, Virginia, founded it on the Fraser River. Sources date it to 1863 or 1874.

How big was the Gang Ranch?

For a time it was described as the largest ranch in North America, with more than 16,000 square kilometres of grassland, according to KnowBC. It is now described as Canada's second largest.

Who owns the Gang Ranch now?

Douglas Lake Cattle Company lists it among the historic B.C. ranches now in the Douglas Lake family. The sources used here do not give the purchase date.

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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