The California Ranch is the oldest continually-occupied ranch in Spokane County, having been settled around 1864, some eight years before the arrival of the first "permanent" settlers. As the only established ranch along the Kentuck Trail between the Palouse and Spokane rivers in the 1860s, the ranch also served as an important way station and resting place for miners, packers, and early settlers passing through the region throughout the frontier period. In addition, the barn at the California Ranch exhibits remarkable architectural significance in its own right. The design, craftsmanship and materials used in this barn make it an outstanding example of early agricultural construction techniques.