Old Borges Ranch

Old Borges Ranch is a working cattle ranch in the foothills of Mt. Diablo, near Walnut Creek, California. Its main buildings include a redwood farmhouse built in 1901, a horse barn from 1903, a milk and cow barn and milkhouse from 1913, a wagonshed, a second-generation house from 1937, and corrals and an early outhouse. Frank Borges, a Portuguese immigrant, and his sons built the mile-long access road in 1899, and the family used the land for cattle and dairy operations across four generations. Once part of the San Miguel Rancho land grant, the property is described as the sole surviving ranch in an area now heavily urbanized. Contra Costa County bought it in 1976 for open space, while Borges family members still lease grazing rights. Most buildings have seen only minor changes, and the farmhouse is the one structure needing rehabilitation. It preserves a picture of ranch life around 1900.