The beginning

1852

Carrying her two diaper-clad sons, the family's grand matriarch, Louisa Hart, journeyed by boat from New York to the Isthmus of Panama where she then rode a mule across to board another ship destined for San Francisco. From San Francisco, Louisa wagon-trained up to Little Shasta where she joined her two brothers, the Millers, and began the long history that is the Hart Ranch. Louisa passed away here on her ranch at the age of 87. Today, the Ranch is managed by the three Hart’s: Blair (5th-generation) and his wife Susan, and their daughter Alex (6th-generation).

The ranch is comprised of two separate properties; the valley floor ranch (Little Shasta) and a high mountain property (Butte Creek).

Historically, the Little Shasta Ranch was first utilized as an overnight rest stop for cattle drovers taking herds between the Mexican and Canadian borders. Eventually, the family acquired their own herd of cattle and started operating the properties as full-time ranching units. The Little Shasta Ranch remained the base of operations, providing vital resources needed to support the family and community living within the basin. The ranch included cropland farming, hogs, cattle, sheep, and even a herd of horses raised for both national and international cavalries. The Butte Creek ranch was utilized for summer feed and meadow grass haying operations. Eventually, as time passed and technologies improved, the ranch became solely a cow-calf operation.

The Present

2024 - beyond

hart ranch mission

Building a sustainable, holistic property stewardship program that allows for equal economically viable ranching operations and wildlife habitat enrichment is the Hart Ranch’s primary objective. The program is and will continue to be based on scientifically proven, environmentally sound management practices, and will be for the betterment of the entire Little Shasta Basin.

hart motto

“To see the forest through the trees, one must also see the tree through the forest.”

The Team

Blair Hart - General Manager

Blair, a graduate of California Polytechnic University - San Luis Obispo, manages the daily, on-the-ground cattle operations and environmental programs. Blair has served on the Klamath Basin Fisheries Task Force as a technical work-group advisor, as a Board Member and past President of the Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District and the Shasta Valley Coordinated Resource Plan. Blair currently serves on the Siskiyou County Planning Commission and the Shasta Valley Groundwater Basin Advisory Committee.

Susan Hart - Financial & Special Programs Manager

Susan, a graduate of the University of California – Davis, manages all ranch programs, from conservation to cattle health. She maintains annual auditing materials needed for the various permits and certifications obtained and maintained by the Ranch.

Alex Hart, MAI - Assistant Manager

Alex, a graduate of the University of Kentucky – Lexington, oversees a variety of tasks including website management, cattle marketing, genetic selection, and property stewardship. She is an MAI designated (Appraisal Institute), practicing real estate appraiser with certified general licenses in California and Washington. She is a member of the California Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA), and a current board member of the California North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Zach Salvestro - Field Manager

Zach is a graduate of Kansas State University – Manhattan and handles various ranching and farming activities. Zach also owns his own herd of cattle and is continuing to grow his knowledge of bovine genetics and husbandry.