Hard work and perseverance sustained a family ranching business across generations after Joseph and Zipporah Russ moved from Maine to Humboldt County in 1850 to start a cattle and sheep ranch. The main buildings were constructed between 1915 and 1925, including a barn, bunkhouse, cookhouse, calf house, and shop. To create grazing land for hundreds of cattle and sheep, the Russ family built the first dikes in the early 1900s. The main perimeter dike was built with a dredge, while many of the interior dikes were built by hand. The family’s last dredge, Jupiter, was built by Stockton Ironworks in 1926.