Rural Roots Sunday (On Monday)
Our Elk Grove rural roots began in April 1984, when we bought a house on Sandage Avenue on 2 ½ acres.
…The Rural Area is valued in our community for its aesthetic and cultural significance, as well as the economic and educational opportunities that agriculture provides. Our commitment to maintaining the Rural Area is clear and codified in core planning documents…”
Elk Grove General Plan, December 2023, Page 2-5
This is the third installment in the series relating the history of Elk Grove's rural area.
Our Elk Grove rural roots began in April 1984 when we bought a house on Sandage Avenue on 2 ½ acres. Interestingly, we now lived across the street from a chicken ranch. Talk about rural life!
The ranch was situated on 20 acres and consisted of 10 very large metal buildings, which housed 10,000 chickens each. A truck came down the street filled with trays of couple-day old baby chicks. Chicks gathered around heaters that were lowered from the ceiling. As the chicks quickly grew the heaters were lifted and chickens filled the houses, with feathers everywhere!
Six to seven weeks after their arrival, semi-trucks came to transport the full-grown birds to Petaluma for processing. Houses were cleaned and prepped for the next batch of chicks. On and on this went.
As we knew would happen one day, in the early 2000’s the ranch ceased operation, the land sold, and the buildings were demolished. There is not so much as a chicken feather left to prove this operation once existed. As the 20-acre ranch property was being rezoned for houses, we stayed vigilant to ensure each parcel was 2-acre minimum or greater.
In 1984, 13 residences shared our one-lane street. Today, 31 residences, including 5 accessory dwelling units, share our one-lane street. It is obvious that a desire for this rural lifestyle is in demand.
We occasionally reminisce about missing the chickens. 😊
Where is Sandage Avenue, you ask? West of Bradshaw, just south of Sheldon, within the EG General Plan designated rural boundary, which we have sought to protect since the 1990s under Shirley Peters tutelage, as members of GSREHA*.
Submitted by Eileen Conwell (GSREHA President) & Frank Roubos
*Greater Sheldon Road Estates HOA, a rural area advocacy group since 1989.
