Re: Bowen history continued...

Thank you, Gail, for sharing a colorful chapter in the history of the Bowen Ranch.
I have recently been given some history of Bowen Ranch by a long-time resident of the Juniper Flats community. Since the history relates to questions that you and others are asking, and since you have requested a response from me, I present it in its entirety as follows:
The Ware incident was a conflict over property lines, the result of an incorrect survey. It is important to know that the jury did not have the results of the subsequent corrected survey when they decided against John Ware. That re-survey verified that the Bowen ranch house was indeed on the Moss Ranch property.
Historically, Chalfant had grubstaked Nolan for the original homestead (what is now Moss Ranch) and later took it over himself. Chalfant sold to Fred Moss. Bowen homesteaded his own claim. Nolan's brother, Art, homesteaded a large part of what is now Rock Springs Ranch. Mark Law homesteaded a property near Art Nolan, now the main buildings at Rock Springs Ranch. They were said to be veterans of the Spanish American War, and all inspired respect. Both Mark Law and Art Nolan had handlebar mustaches and their Winchester 94's were always at hand. As can be seen, an incorrect survey would not have been an issue for these men.
The misplaced north-south property line affected both the Bowen and Moss ranch houses. The Bowen ranch house was found to be on the Moss Ranch and the Moss ranch house was found to be on U.S. Government land. This was unfortunate for Fred Moss, who lost a much better house than he gained with the Bowen ranch house. What was Fred's loss was opportunity for William (of DCHS, Inc) to file a claim and take up residence in the Moss ranch house. As a result of the ensuing problems, BLM attempted to evict William on the basis of filing a false mill site claim. (It was well known that no milling was ever done at Moss Mill.) Ms. Fry contends that William left when requested, but the record at the Barstow BLM office clearly reflects a long and costly effort at taxpayer expense before they were successful. BLM bulldozed the old Chalfant (Moss) ranch house to prevent a recurrence of illegal occupation of public land.
A separate tax parcel for the Bowen ranch house was created for the Bowen ranch house (structure only) to address payment of taxes to San Bernardino County during the conflict over the property lines. Once the conflict was resolved, this ceased to have function and lapsed from use. The separate Bowen ranch house tax parcel continues to be archived in the County record. It is the same tax parcel that Ms. Fry contends that she gained possession of through payment of back taxes and $1500 to obtain a quitclaim from a previous owner. Somehow, she has also managed to attach 40 acres, despite the fact that land was specifically excluded. She claims that her ownership is recorded, but in truth, the County of San Bernardino has refused to do so.
Ownership of the Bowen Ranch had already passed to Las Flores-Summit Valley Land Co. at the time Ms. Fry purchased the quitclaim for DCHS, Inc. from the previous owners in New York. Any existing property right to the Bowen ranch house would have been already conveyed to Las Flores. Las Flores has never asserted a claim for any interest in the Bowen ranch house. Also of interest, the previous owners (in New York) declared that they held no known property rights to the ranch house parcel. That declaration was made repeatedly in a letter that accompanied the quitclaim deed purchased by DCHS, Inc.
Mike, Kevin and Tanya, the new owners of Moss Ranch and the Bowen ranch house, are highly regarded by their neighbors. They are entitled to the peaceful possession and enjoyment of their properties. That is a basic property right and the American way. Anyone who feels they have a conflicting legal claim should pursue their action in the courts. As a society, we must never tolerate public libel and harassment as a substitute for legal action.