The Sale Yard - Where Buyers First Arrived
This was the main area visitors experienced when coming to the farm to buy or sell cattle. A gravel lot once sat out front, leading into the fenced “lot” where cattle were gathered before being run through the chute beside the office.
From there, they would be weighed, negotiated, and loaded out — all done face-to-face, long before anything was digital. It’s not hard to imagine the activity here in the 1940s, with trucks pulling in, cattle moving through the chute, and deals being made on the spot.
A Story from the Lot - Handling “Elston”
A local businessman who worked on the farm in the 1950s once shared a story about a bull named Elston.
Elston was known for being temperamental, and on the day he was being sold, a buyer was trying to prod him toward the trailer. A farmhand warned him not to — the bull was already moving in the right direction. But when the buyer used the prod anyway, Elston stopped… and slowly began backing away.
Sensing trouble, the farmhand stepped in, pushed the buyer aside, and calmly guided Elston forward again — a reminder that working cattle often came down to patience, timing, and experience.
A Changed Landscape - After the Fire
In the 1980s, a large dairy barn built during the Castille Ranch years stood just beside this area. When it caught fire, the blaze burned so intensely that almost nothing was left behind.
The fire spread to the office and surrounding structures, bringing much of it down to the footings. The office building that stands today was rebuilt afterward in a similar size and location. In more recent years, it has been used for storage and as a small working office.
The Sale Yard - From Past to Present
Looking Ahead - Bringing it Back to Life
This area is one of the next pieces of the farm we plan to revive.
The first step will be rebuilding the lot with a classic white farm fence, bringing back the defined space where cattle were once gathered. From there, we’ll reimagine how the office building can be used again — creating something that fits naturally into the farm’s next chapter.
For now, we’re continuing to improve the surrounding landscape and pathways, as this area sits at the center of much of the farm’s daily movement and experience.