The Franch
THE FRANCH = A little bit of farm and a whole lot of ranch!
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This ranch, which we call the Franch, has been a part of Pleasant Valley since the very early 1900's. It was homesteaded by a Swedish man who went by the name Bostrom. Hand hewn pine logs, that were cut down from the property, are a big part of the buildings. We've added a few things here and there--like a window or two. Yet the feeling of the early 1900's still very much exists!
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The Haught family (who ranched this area for fifty years) brought in a manufactured home to give the elderly mother, Susie Mae Haught, a few modern conveniences. Like an indoor bathroom and gas heat, to compliment the fire place. Though we enjoy the modern conveniences, we thought enclosing it with something to compliment the logs in the front of the house was important.
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We call it the Arizona Room!
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We drilled a well and added a new pump house to match the old one!
The windmill hasn't been working for some time, but that's one of our next projects. For many years the Haughts were getting their water from Gruwell spring, inside a canyon, two miles away. The water flowed through 3/4" a.b.s. pipe. Most of the time the pipe was under the ground, but in some places it wasn't, so winters could be challenging! We enjoyed this system for one winter before the forest service shut us down. It was fun while it lasted!
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Grandpa's
Cabin
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Winters! Yes, we have winters!
The winters are nothing like the ones we grew up with, back in Minnesota and Iowa. We've had as much snow as three feet, but it can easily melt within three days. It's a happy medium of what we endured while growing up in the midwest and then what we've gone though the last twenty years in Phoenix Arizona. Sometimes in January it warms up to sixty degrees or more. You just never know, and we like it that way!
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All in all, its a nice place to hang out!
For more info call Kevin: 928-462-3538
Pleasant Valley Arabians
or click to e-mail to:pvarabians@msn.com