The Arcularius Ranch is located in Long Valley which encompasses part Mono County, California. Long Valley in geological terms is a Caldera, further described as a broad crater like basin of a volcano formed by an explosion or by the collapse of a cone over 700,000 years ago. There are supposedly only three (3) such valleys in the United States. In 1975 the Department of Interior made an intensive study of Long Valley costing roughly two million dollars. This was attended by over 100 geothermal experts from various parts of the world. This team contends that the explosion creating this valley made a crater in the earth five miles deep, ten miles wide and fifteen miles long. Subsequent to the explosion the crater became an alkaline lake and gradually filled in. During this period there were geysers and hot mineral springs similar to those in Yellowstone and the Hot Creek area. As the Valley aged, the resurgent domes composed of this volcano magma or rhyolite forced their way up in the middle of this huge crater. These are the pine covered hills we now see in and around the valley. These domes resulted in the formation in what the geologists call a moat in the crater.

The Arcularius Ranch lies in the north moat, we have to remember it took in the area around Mammoth also, as the flows of molten lava flowed from the South moat which is in the Mammoth area up to the North moat. This flow produced the basalt cliffs which follows the Owens River for a number of miles. After this terrific explosion there were three (3) glacial periods. The tremendous run off from the glaciers carved out the valley as we see it now, lying about 200 feet below the basalt cliffs. This run off is responsible for the terrain of the river all the way to Pleasant Valley where the valley spreads out. The most recent explosion was about 700 years ago at the Obsidian Dome. This was a thick volcanic material, in contrast to the molten lava, and it scattered pumice all over the valley with lots of black obsidian which we see now in the form of chunks and pieces from which arrowheads were chipped. This caldera seems to be very much in the news now with the many small earth quakes that are being recorded along with the presence of carbon dioxide and the continuous measurement of molten lava.

My father Frank Arcularius bought the Long Valley property about 1919 from Mr. William Symons from the Adobe area. In fact Mr. Symons is the Father of William Jr. and the late Robert of gliding and flying fame. This property was used to graze cattle and sheep during the summer months. The headquarters for this was called the "Cow Camp" which had a very rustic building with one bedroom and a kitchen. I would like to recall a few remembrances of these days when I was about five or six years of age. On the way to the "Cow Camp" I would have hysterics before we got to the top of Rock Creek Canyon as the road was very narrow with no guard rails and it was a long way to the bottom, and I did not calm down until we had forged Rock Creek at the bottom of the grade. Then I proceeded to laugh my head off Only to get ready for the next obstacle of fording Convict Creek screaming my head off again. In the early days we had a Buick with the side button on curtains. This car had very high wheels which made fording creeks a bit easier. Later we had a Franklin car. My Father seemed to be the only one in Bishop to have a Franklin so he proceeded to get the dealership and had as his logo "Buy a Franklin, Los Angeles needs the water." as a Franklin was an air cooled car needing no water. It had its draw backs though as the fan distributed water all over the engine so we would have to sit in the middle of the stream until the engine dried off Getting to and through these streams during the spring runoff was quite an experience too --as in those days our winters produced much more snow which made for lots of runoff thus much deeper and swifter water, There always seemed to be an award after these experiences. Convict Creek was just a short distance from Whitmore Hot Springs , which then was a large pool in the ground with its warm water springs and we were allowed to have a swim. On Saturday nights we would go to the "Cow Camp" after the store closed in Bishop and it would be dark when we arrived at Whitmores so my Father would turn the lights of the car on the pool and we would have our Saturday night bath.

At times I would get car sick and I knew the minute we would get to the Cow Camp my Father would build a fire and put the iron fry pan on the stove and brown flour, which he would mix with water and I had to drink that to settle my stomach. His remedy for a sore throat would be to slice bacon very thick, salt and pepper it and fix it around my neck secured with a piece of cloth. I am not medically sure if it worked, but it sure made me feel better.

A few years later along with my brothers we would ride horse back over the hill to the Hot Creek area where we would heat our cans of beans and cook the eggs in the small geysers and steam vents. We helped with the cattle and would experience a thunder shower practically each afternoon. These showers I was told, rained tiny frogs. There were tiny frogs all right but later learned that the rains activated them from the ground. Quite am eerie sight seeing these tiny frogs jumping and hopping everywhere.

The Ranch with its 1640 acres is on the headwaters of the Owens River just down stream from its source which comes from large natural springs a wonderful place for watercress.

The Ranch is divided into two parcels of land known as the Upper Ranch, the location of the resort, and the Lower Ranch or Cow Camp. It was also known then as the Sheep Ranch as there was more sheep grazing than cattle. The intervening land was owned by other Bishop people who sold their property to Barker Brothers of Furniture fame in Los Angeles and it eventually became a private club with twenty (20) members as it is today and is known as the Inaja Land Company.