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As you travel along Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles County heading toward Barkersfield, you'll drive for miles along mountainous, sometimes foggy landscapes. Along the road you'll see a sign that says, " Tejon Ranch Since 1843; Preserving California's Legacy". It is one of the largest private landowners in California. Tejon Ranch grows almonds, pistachios, walnuts, wine grapes, and several varieties of row crops. Depending on the season, up to 12,000 head of cattle can be found grazing on the ranch.

History: At the urging of Edward Beale, Superintendent of Indian Affairs in California, the Sebastian Indian Reservation was established in 1853 on Rancho El Tejon, and Fort Tejon was established by the U.S. Army in 1854 on Rancho Castac. These were federal projects, consisting of major developments and improvements, on what was the Mexican grantees' private land.

In 1855, Edward Beale purchased Rancho La Liebre. The Army abandoned Fort Tejon in 1864. Beale bought Rancho El Tejon and Rancho de los Alamos y Agua Caliente in 1865, and Rancho Castac in 1866. With the purchase of these four Mexican land grants, Beale created the present day Tejon Ranch. Beale's son, Truxtun Beale, sold the Tejon Ranch in 1912 to a syndicate of investors headed by Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler and land developer Moses Sherman. Both had extensive holdings in the San Fernando Valley. In 1936, the Tejon Ranch Company became a public company, with the Chandler–Sherman group retaining a controlling interest. Tejon Ranch Company Tejon Ranch is the largest private landholding in California, and today is owned by Tejon Ranch Company, a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Its principal activity is land development and agribusiness, increasing the value of real estate and resource holding on this land. The company operates in four segments of the economy: * Real estate, including development, investments, and leases of prime farmland and oil fields. * Livestock, mainly feedlot beef cattle. * Farming, including farm consulting. Main crops are wine grapes and several varieties of nuts. * Resource management, which involves game management and location filming. [edit] Future of the ranch [edit] Conservation and land-use agreement A large number of California native plants occur on as yet undisturbed land owned by Tejon Ranch. It is situated at a section of the state where several ecoregions meet and overlap: the Mojave Desert, the Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada, and the Transverse Ranges of Southern California.

The interaction of unique geography and varying climates has produced high biodiversity, as evidenced by showy spring wildflower blooms.[3] Overlooking the eastern half of Tejon Ranch from the Tehachapi Crest. Frazier Mountain in the Los Padres National Forest is in the background. An agreement between the Tejon Ranch Company and a coalition of environmental groups, announced in May 2008,[4] is designed to permanently protect 240,000 acres of the historic ranch. It is the largest conservation and land-use pact in California history.

Tejon Ranch will have the right to proceed with three massive development projects but the projects still must undergo approvals by county, state, and federal authorities. Tejon Ranch set aside 178,000 acres for conservation and will provide an option for public purchase of 62,000 additional acres — 49,000 to create a state park, 10,000 to realign 37 miles of the Pacific Crest hiking trail, and the rest for docent-led tours of "sensitive habitat."