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Topo History / Lesson #1
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Thanks to Edwina and Barbara for the
records. |
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Ranch History, as told by Barbara Breen, J.E.
Breen’s daughter and Nana’s sister.
THE TOPO
In southern Monterey County, ten miles east of King City, was the Topo. It was
purchased in 1860 by Patrick Breen and his second son Edward. Both of them survived
the Donner Party tragedy in the Sierras in 1846. Patrick died in 1868 and 24.000
acres of the finest cattle country in California became Edward’s. There
was a water spring in every canyon and as one of the old-timers said, “I
saw a thousand head of cattle watering off that one Cinco Canoes Spring all at
once.”
Edward died in 1890 leaving the Topo to his widow and three sons of his second
wife. After one of the sons, James Edwin Breen (J.E.B), finished college he returned
to the ranch and with the help of a foreman and his younger brother Harry, they
managed the Topo. The southern end was sold off by his other brother Bill in
1913. Mother and the other two sons remained in the business until her passing
in 1929.
The drought and low cattle prices during the twenties took their toll. The Bank
of America forced the Breen Brothers into sheep in the late twenties and eventually
took the ranch in 1932. J.E.B. ran it for the Bank for years. Then Swanson Meat
Packing of Stockton, California was given an option to buy. J.E.B. was in partnership
with them, however, after five years they were unable to pick up the option and
it was sold to Montgomery Investment Co. of Simi, California. J.E.B. continued
to manage the ranch for MIC until his retirement in 1947.
Many movies were made on the Topo in the twenties. Gary Cooper made his first
film there -- “The Winning of Barbara Worth.” Hoot Gibson and Bill
Desmond were some of the others.
During World War II J.E.B. lost some good men to the service. He ran the Topo
almost single-handedly with one other man and whoever else would volunteer, including
friends, relations, and neighbors. He trained the cattle to follow the pickup
for cottonseed cake which he spread from the running board out of the sack. |
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