THE RANCH
The Blackmore Ranch as we see it today is much different than it was back in the 1800's...the property was the location for the old Linda Rosa Santa Fe Railroad Train Depot at one time. The property today still has a Santa Fe Railroad easement that sits in the middle of the 20 acre parcel. On the south side of the property, there are several large eucalyptus trees that the railroad planted over 120 years ago for shade and to use as wood for the railroad ties to build the tracks from Murrieta to Oceanside.
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The property now has two stocked ponds, two motorcycle flat tracks, a go cart track, the main house, a guest house and bunk house, a race shop and workshop area; as well as two covered areas for equipment, including a collection of heavy equipment that dates back to the late 1900's. There are also recreation areas including horseshoes, ring toss, an archery area and more.
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The ranch is always a work in progress, as the Blackmore family continuously makes improvements, adding to the splendor of the beautiful property. It takes a village and a creative vision to make this ranch what you see it as today!
THE FAMILY
The Blackmore Family can certainly be counted amongst the "old timers" in the Temecula Valley area. James Blackmore moved to French Valley around the turn of the Century and married Edmee Nicolas in Elsinore (c. 1914). Edmee was born in Temecula in 1887 on the Joe Nicolas Ranch and was the daughter of French Valley pioneer Marius A. Nicolas and step-daughter of Pierre Pourroy, Sr. James & Edmee, with two of Jim's brothers, operated the Old Lindenberger Store on the SE corner of Simpson and Winchester Road. The present store building was built in 1927 and was a post office, variety store, and ice cream parlor at that time. The photo to the left is Jim operating a horse pulled motor grader.
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Harvey Blackmore (who was born in French Valley to James & Edmee in 1919) and his wife Betty moved to Murrieta in 1949 and bought a 1200-acre homestead in the area that would become known as California Oaks. The couple raised cattle and dry farmed wheat and barley on the land that the locals called Blackmore Ranch.
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Harvey and Betty's two sons, Ken and Terry, were born and raised in Murrieta. Both boys attended the original Murrieta Grammar School - the remains of that building can still be seen in Old Town Murrieta. The two helped their dad on the Ranch and earned extra money in high school by using their family's farm equipment to do custom grading job. In the 1960's, Terry Blackmore worked as a cowboy for the Vail Company, running cattle all over the valley, while Ken developed and expanded his grading business in Temecula. Most of the family's original ranch was sold off by the mid 60's and has been developed into homes for thousands of Murrieta residents.
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By the early 1970's, the brothers had formed a grading operation called Blackmore Co., which has moved the earth on projects like the first industrial park in this valley, the original Tower Plaza, the Stater Bros. Center and in areas like Bear Creek, La Cresta and Alta Murrieta. Blackmore equipment and projects can be seen around town to this day.
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Terry Blackmore left the valley in 1989 to pursue his love of cattle ranching in Arizona, but Ken Blackmore, who had two children, Jeff and Rebecca, lived on a ranch in old Murrieta remaining active in developing land until his death in 2015. One of the last remaining pieces of the family's ranch property was developed in the early 1990's by the Blackmore Family and became the Blackmore Ranch development off Clinton Keith Road.
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The newest generation of the Blackmore Family in the grading business is Ken's son, Jeff, who started Blackmore Contracting in 1997. Having worked with his father from a young age, Jeff learned the business from the ground up. Blackmore Contracting has done the grading on projects that brought the Valley shopping centers like Lowe's/Kohl's and Target, commercial developments like Village Walk I and Gateway Office Park in Murrieta, a new High School and Middle School in Lake Elsinore, as well as many residential projects ranging from single-family custom home sites to house pads in planned communities.
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Jeff and Rebecca have since taken over the remaining Blackmore Family Ranch. Jeff currently lives on the Ranch, continuously improving the grounds and has since began creating the Ranch's legacy by implementing his love for motorcycles and his father's love of dragsters. The Ranch now provides a private motorcycle flat track, a vintage Moto track, and houses one of the most unique collections of motorcycles in the country. On property, you'll also see our antique CAT Equipment Museum, comprised of equipment owned by the family for generations and last but certainly not least, our legendary workshop that is home to some of the top dragsters in America.
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Harvey Blackmore
Ken & Terry Blackmore
Jeff Blackmore & Jeff Ward
Jeff & Jennifer
Today, the ranch is run and managed by Jeff and his girlfriend, Jennifer.
Jen is our facilities manager and event coordinator. Born and raised in Tulsa, Ok, she moved to California in high school and came to the Temecula Valley in 1996 where she raised two children. She's worked in the motocross industry, in the health and fitness industry and the wine industry. She also has over 25+ years of event planning and management experience, as well as a background in business and customer service.
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Jeff's been an athlete for years. As a kid, he started riding motorcycles and skateboarding, then as a young adult, became a professional surfer. As he progressed through life and his career, his journey took him into mountain biking and cycling all while continuing to ride Moto.
Jeff began working in the family grading business in his early 20's, created his own contracting business in his 30's and eventually took over the family business. Jeff's been a businessman and entrepreneur his entire adult life, building small and large companies.
Today Jeff is enjoying bringing his passions for the sports he loves into building Blackmore Ranch and alongside with Jen, they're creating a monumental property with incredible experiences for all that visit.