Photo: The Russell-Ham House at Russell Ranch

The Russell-Ham House at Russell Ranch

Russell Ranch and the Russell-Ham House

Russell Ranch

  • Approx. 1,600-acre ranch acquired by UC Davis in 1990
  • Located west of the West Campus
  • Teaching & research fields, agricultural research reserves, low-density academic and administrative facilities

Russell-Ham House

  • Built in the late-1860s and inhabited by Russell family until 2002

The Russell Ranch is a 1,590-acre portion of the campus acquired in 1990 to serve large-scale agricultural and environmental research, the study of sustainable agricultural practices and other land-based programs. It is home to teaching and research fields, agricultural research reserves and low-density academic and administrative facilities.

The ranch is located west of the West Campus, separated by approximately 1.5 miles of private land. It is bounded roughly by County Road 96 on the east, Putah Creek on the south, Covell Boulevard on the north and Russell Boulevard on the west and northwest.

The ranch was established by the Russell family in the mid-19th century, and both have a long and interesting history in Yolo County and the Sacramento region. The Russell-Ham House was built in 1869 and was inhabited by the Russell family until 2002, when Mrs. Charlotte Russell-Ham passed away.

In recent years, the university has generally managed the ranch as two parts-a north area and south area. South is 765 acres generally reserved for university programs; North is 815 acres, largely designated for farming activities. Other tenants of the ranch raise goats, grow alfalfa, corn, wheat, tomatoes and Asian pears.


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