Honoring Bear Valley Springs History
ave you ever imagined what Bear Valley Springs was like before it was developed? Can you identify the Fickert ranch house as you drive down Bear Valley Road? Did you know that the door handles at the Country Club are the Fickert's "88" cattle brand? Do you know who is buried in the Fickert Ranch cemetery off of Deertrail?
This paradise we call home was originally a 160-acre homestead settled by the Fickert family in 1869. By the 1960s the Fickert's had developed that small landholding into a 23,000-acre working cattle ranch. When the last generation was unable to operate the ranch, it was sold and then re-sold to Dart Industries, who then developed it into Bear Valley Springs.
The Bear Valley CSD and the Tehachapi Heritage League are working together to commemorate the Fickerts and their family home that is now known as Bear Valley Springs. We will be remembering and honoring their legacy with the dedication of a plaque for the cemetery.
This cemetery is accessible from Deertrail Drive, just west of Rand Court. Buried there are Fred and Mary Fickert, ten of their eleven children, one son-in-law, and four others (ranch hands and/or Native Americans). The cemetery is situated on a lot owned by the BVCSD and designated as "common area".
The dedication will take place on Saturday, October 5th at the Oak Tree Country Club from 2pm - 4pm. We are hopeful that at least one of the two remaining Fickerts, who lived on the working ranch in the 1960s, will be able to attend and share stories of local ranch life. Mark your calendars now! More information about the event will be published as the dedication date nears.