When you think of life in Clovis a century ago, you probably don’t think of New York "high society" or Hollywood movie stars. But one ranch east of town brought both of those connections to the valley – and it still exists. Today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots, the story of the Balfe Ranch.
Harry Balfe was a wealthy New York wholesale grocer. Balfe was a friend of President Theodore Roosevelt and made several trips to the Panama Canal zone on his behalf. Balfe also had a contract to run the food service concessions at Ellis Island.
In 1919 Balfe purchased 760 acres along Thompson and Herndon Avenues in Clovis from the Roeding family and built an impressive ranch. In addition to his personal residence, the Balfe Ranch included a horse racing track, an airfield, and a diversified farming operation, with grapes, almonds, and peaches. Balfe reportedly entertained Hollywood stars like Gary Cooper, Myrna Loy and Jimmy Stewart. In fact, in 1933 Gary Cooper married Balfe’s granddaughter.
Balfe sold the ranch in 1939 to Hollywood star Victor McLaglen, who was an avid horseman. McLaglen won the Academy Award for best actor in 1936. McLaglen was honored as the grand marshall of the Clovis Rodeo in 1941. He owned the ranch until 1950. Since 1952 the ranch has been owned by the Indart family of Clovis, and has been featured in recent TV ads for Blue Diamond Almonds.
