Agriculture
Ecology
Education
How to visit
We are not open to the public, but you can
1. Book all or a portion of the ranch for a photo shoot or event
2. Buy produce at the Little Wing Farm stand
3. Participate in a Fibershed workshop
4. Take a class or attend an event at the Viviculture Center
5. Do a MALT hike
6. Take a farm tour
Operations
We either host, manage, or co-manage a number of agricultural enterprises, including Stemple Creek (beef cattle), Little Wing Farm (row crops, quail), Tabletop (row crops), Fibershed (ag and eco education), Inventure Institute (ag and eco education), Viviculture (lavender, honey, and wellness), Three Bags Full (sheep). We also host events and photoshoots.
History
The ranch, and the mountain at its center, was owned by, and named after, James ‘Santiago’ Black. As a young man, he worked for Mariano Vallejo, the comandante of Alta California and was rewarded with a 20,000 acre land grant. Black subsequently made a large fortune from cattle ranching during the Gold Rush, and at one point he was the biggest property tax payer in Marin, as well as the mayor of San Rafael, the county tax collector, and the county coroner.
How to report stray cows
If you see our cows loose on the road, this means they have escaped and we need to retrieve them, so in this case please contact julian@blackmountainranch.info or loren.poncia@stemplecreek.com