ONWARD & UPWARD: New Foundations for a Historic Structure

The Porter Ranch house got a boost for critical repairs to its foundation.

Whenever the Elkhorn Slough Foundation has opened its historic Porter Ranch house to the community — as a venue for Arts Habitat open studios, a quick stop before an ESF wildflower walk, or a staging area for a plein air sketching workshop — enthusiastic visitors invariably exclaim, “I had no idea this place was even here!”

In the coming years we hope that will change. Lately, though, things have been a bit up in the air.

Earlier this spring, ESF’s Porter Ranch house got a long-awaited boost. Expert contractors raised the 150 year-old building from its foundation and lifted it 7 feet above the ground. Through the years, the foundations of this historic building have been shifting, sinking, and deteriorating. Only by lifting the whole building could we build a new foundation for this historic structure.

Skewed angles of a kitchen window hint at sinking foundations in need of repair

To replace floors and foundations, the historic house was lifted 7 feet into the air

Fortunately, provisions of our shelter-in-place orders allowed work on existing construction projects to ensure the safety and security of the structures under their care. Our contractors have continued to maintain safety and social distance as they poured new foundations and readied the structure to replace old electrical wiring and aging plumbing beneath the house, which had been perched atop piers of crossties. Once the essential work was completed, we lowered the Porter Ranch house to a safe, sound, and stable foundation.

Ultimately, our goal is to revitalize the Porter Ranch house as a hub of community engagement, and there is still much work to do. Situated on the upper slough near Carneros Creek, Porter Ranch is a place where richly diverse habitats, communities, and opportunities converge — and we are eager to deepen these connections.

The history of Porter Ranch mirrors the history of California. In the 1820s, the land was part of a Mexican Land Grant, Rancho Bolsa de San Cayetano, held by the family of General Mariano Vallejo. In 1864, a large portion of the rancho was purchased by John Thomas Porter, an ambitious young businessman who arrived for the Gold Rush and was later appointed Monterey Customs officer by President Lincoln.

Porter passed the land down to his descendants, and Porter Ranch became the home where Tom and Bernice Porter raised their precocious young daughter, Diane. Today, Diane Porter Cooley recalls riding her horse around the sweeping landscape of the Elkhorn Slough watershed—through coastal prairie and along the shores of the estuary.

Bernice, Diane, and Tom on horseback at Porter Ranch, where they lived from 1927 through the 1970s.

Porter family photo courtesy of Diane Porter Cooley

Situated on the upper Elkhorn Slough not far from ESF’s Outdoor Classroom, Porter Ranch has been a working ranch since the 1800s

As a testament to their commitment to their land and community, Diane and her family donated Porter Ranch to conservation beginning in the 1970s — permanently protecting more than 300 acres and the historic ranch house.

When health officials relax restrictions and our daily activities settle into more familiar rhythms, we hope to share Porter Ranch with our community — as a staging area for wildflower walks and history talks, as a showcase for local arts and cultural exhibits, and as an educational venue for local students who might not otherwise have opportunities to learn about the rich natural and cultural history in their own neighborhood.

When work is complete and health officials ease restrictions, we hope that Porter Ranch house will serve as a hub for community engagement