That history began in 1865, when George Hearst bought nearly 50,000 acres of the Piedra Blanca Rancho (named by Spanish explorers for its “white rocks”) from José de Jesus Pico, who was granted the land in 1840 by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado.

That history began in 1865, when George Hearst bought nearly 50,000 acres of the Piedra Blanca Rancho (named by Spanish explorers for its “white rocks”) from José de Jesus Pico, who was granted the land in 1840 by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. After California’s statehood in 1850, Mexican landowners struggled to retain their property, encountering difficulties in establishing their legal title, then suffering from the devastation caused by the drought of 1862-1864. The following year, George Hearst purchased the Piedra Blanca Rancho—which extended from San Simeon Bay to Ragged Point—paying almost a dollar an acre, when most ranches in the area could be purchased for less than half that amount.

George could afford this prime ranchland, having made a fortune in 1862 when he discovered part of the Comstock Lode, North America’s largest silver deposit. (Hearst’s holdings eventually included the Anaconda copper mine in Montana and the Homestake gold mine in South Dakota.) After this first big strike, Hearst returned home to Missouri, where at forty-one, he married nineteen-year-old Phoebe Apperson.

George could afford this prime ranchland, having made a fortune in 1862 when he discovered part of the Comstock Lode, North America’s largest silver deposit. (Hearst’s holdings eventually included the Anaconda copper mine in Montana and the Homestake gold mine in South Dakota.) After this first big strike, Hearst returned home to Missouri, where at forty-one, he married nineteen-year-old Phoebe Apperson. Phoebe was seven when George departed for California in 1850, looking for gold. When he returned twelve years later, she was an attractive and dedicated schoolteacher, with a lifelong love of education. Their only child, William Randolph Hearst, was born in 1863 in San Francisco, where they settled in order to oversee their mining and ranching investments.

After these improvements, George left the ranch largely unchanged, saying he was “saving it for the boy.” His focus shifted to politics. He was elected to California’s state assembly in 1865, and in 1886 became a United States Senator. (Appointed to fill a Senate vacancy, George was elected the following year.)

After these improvements, George left the ranch largely unchanged, saying he was “saving it for the boy.” His focus shifted to politics. He was elected to California’s state assembly in 1865, and in 1886 became a United States Senator. (Appointed to fill a Senate vacancy, George was elected the following year.) He also acquired the San Francisco Examiner (family legend claims he won it in a poker game), where—in 1887—William Randolph Hearst began his career in journalism,at age twenty-four. Only four years later, Senator George Hearst died in office, and was celebrated for his generosity and unpretentiousness.

Phoebe ran the ranch for the next twenty-eight years, with Will sharing her dedication. He wrote her in 1917: “I’d rather spend a month at the ranch than anyplace in the world.” When Phoebe died in the influenza epidemic of 1919, she was nationally acclaimed for her philanthropy, having donated $21 million dollars to causes including the University of California, the YWCA, and the restoration of California’s missions.

Upon inheriting the ranch, William Randolph Hearst hired talented San Francisco architect Julia Morgan, who had already designed more than 500 buildings. From 1919-1947, they collaborated on every aspect of La Cuesta Encantada (the Enchanted Hill), as he called his hilltop compound, known today as Hearst Castle. They also constructed many ranch buildings—the poultry ranch, dairy barn, horse ranch, and cowboy bunkhouse—still in daily use. Morgan designed San Simeon’s concrete warehouse (resembling a Spanish mission), and spacious homes for ranch employees. The finest was for Don “Pancho” Francisco Estrada, Hearst’s lifelong friend. Born on the ranch in 1854, Don Pancho proudly taught all five of William and Millicent Hearst’s sons—George, Bill Jr., John, David, and Randy—how to rope and ride. San Simeon’s residences are still used by ranch employees, making it the last surviving estate village in America.

Hearst added many ranch improvements over the years, upgrading its Herefords to purebreds, starting a hog-raising operation, and breeding Morgans and Arabians at his Pico Creek stables. He also developed the Morab breed, a Morgan-Arabian cross. In 1925, he expanded the ranch to 250,000 acres by purchasing 153,000 inland acres north of King City. In 1940, when Hearst was nearing bankruptcy, he sold this land to the U. S. Army, which renamed it Fort Hunter-Liggett. Today its large Spanish-style Milpitas Hacienda—built in 1930 to accommodate Hearst, his guests, and the cowboys working this northern part of the ranch—is used as the Army’s Officer’s Club.

Hearst added many ranch improvements over the years, upgrading its Herefords to purebreds, starting a hog-raising operation, and breeding Morgans and Arabians at his Pico Creek stables. He also developed the Morab breed, a Morgan-Arabian cross.