Welcome to Rancho Esquon
Rancho Esquon was originally part of a land grant given to Samuel Neal in 1859. At that time the ranch was called Esquon Rancho and consisted of 23,193 acres commencing at Clark Rd. to Old Highway 99E and parallel to Butte Creek. Neal primarily raised cattle, horses and sheep on this land. Very few grains were grown in this area at that time. The name Esquon originated from a tribe of Native Americans who lived along Butte Creek near what is known as Hell Town.
In 1918 E.L. Adams purchased Esquon Rancho and it became known as Adams Ranch. Aside from raising cattle, hogs and sheep, Mr. Adams began growing rice, becoming one of the first producers of rice in California. Mr. Adams’ rice operation began with a small field and over the years grew to over 2,000 acres of planted rice Many call him the “Father of the Rice Industry of California”.
In 1990 the ranch was purchased by Ken Hofmann and the name was changed to Rancho Esquon. Mr. Hofmann, who has a love for wildlife, began the development of the current 900+ acres of wildlife habitat. Over the years Rancho Esquon has planted more than 20,000 willow, cottonwood and oak trees. Ponds and channels have been constructed and during the fall of the year one is able to observe over 173 bird species including shorebirds, an abundance of migratory waterfowl, resident and migratory songbirds, and birds of prey.
