Moon Valley is not really a valley per se, but a very large subdivision on the Madeline Plains. In 1968, the Occidental Petroleum Company purchased a large portion of the lands owned by the Rees T. Jenkins Land & Livestock Company. On the west side of the Madeline Plains, they subdivided thousands of acres into 20-acre parcels they named Moon Valley Ranch. The first unit was recorded on July 12, 1968.
Moon Valley conjures up many images depending on one’s perspective. For some Lassen County officials it presents many challenges. Law enforcement officials have to contend with illegal marijuana grows and from there the list goes on.
A number of these parcels are sold sight unseen. Once sold the new buyer who finally makes the pilgrimage there, realizes the land is not what they envisioned and that it was not such a great deal after all. I recall, in one instance a young man from England came into the Lassen County Assessor’s Office wanting to know about a parcel he recently inherited there. Of course, in his mind, he thought he found the proverbial pot of gold, after all it was real property in California. The Assessor’s Office did the best they could to describe the property, yet the young man was undeterred. After he left, we all agreed that he probably spent more money to make the trip from England than what the property was worth.
Tim
I remember a visit to Moon Valley when I was a kid, maybe 1969-70? The main building was finished, and it featured a huge, stuffed grizzly bear, which seemed out of place, even to me. I remember the adults being kind of baffled by the whole subdivision thing. A new community out here?
Tim:
Danny Hawkes and I are writing a book on the First Peoples of the Klamath Country, which includes Modoc and Lassen Counties. I would like to use this Moon Valley photo to illustrate the Madeline Plains. We would give your blog full credit for the image. Can we use this great photo?
– Larry
Yes, you may and I was the person who took the photograph during a visit to Dry Valley Cemetery.