In 1875 Joseph Decious purchased 213 acres five miles north of Milford. It was in a primitive state, only a small portion was under cultivation, and a log house for a dwelling. This would, of course, change over time. In his 1906 biography he boasted: “Visitors to the ranch notice with interest, on the shore of Honey Lake, the only steamer that ever sailed upon its waters, a small craft built in 1895, capacity thirty thousand pounds, which has been used principally for the bringing of freight to the residents of the valley.” In addition, his biography noted he had rented the ranch and retired to Chico, before he was sixty years of age.

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