Movie stars enjoyed visits to Clovis ranch

By Gabriel Alexander / Independent Staff Writer Monday, Mar. 31, 2008

A nearly 100-year-old ranch house that entertained movie stars and inspired National Geographic stories hides among fields, orchards and livestock in northeast Clovis. The historic ranch was saved from disrepair by the Indart family.

Tim and Andrea Indart began restoring the house in 1966 and are still working to improve the place.

Tim Indart wants to repair the elaborate fish ponds in the backyard and Andrea Indart is painting the master bedroom walls pink.

"It's like a money pit," Tim Indart said.

The history of their home, however, is priceless.

"We feel their spirits," Andrea Indart said about the former occupants. "The house has a lot of memories for a lot of folks, and we've been privileged to live there."

Harry Balfe, a New York businessman, purchased 760 acres northeast of Herndon and Thompson avenues in 1919, according to local historian Peg Bos. He built a seven-room house with five guest houses, a private air strip, race track, vineyard and orchards. Visitors included Gary Cooper and Fred MacMurry, and the National Geographic Society said Balfe's ranch was "a garden spot in the desert: a place which could not be duplicated in England in 100 years."

Victor McLaglen, an Oscar-winning actor, purchased the ranch in 1939. He made a name for himself around town by drinking with locals at downtown Clovis bars, suddenly throwing his hat in the fire after swapping stories with the servants and raising thoroughbred horses such as "War," the son of "Man o' War," considered to be one of the greatest racehorses of all time.

McLaglen was a boxer and would give $15 to anyone who could stay in the ring with him for three minutes. To show off his strength, he would tell men to break rocks on his chest. In 1941, he was named grand marshal of the Clovis Horse Show and Festival, now known as the Clovis Rodeo.

Sally (Macias) Wright, 78, remembers life on the ranch when Balfe and McLaglen owned the place. Her father Pete Macias was the foreman of the ranch in the '30s and '40s. Wright has fond memories of the Chinese cook Wong Young, who would treat her family to Chinese dinners in Fresno's Chinatown.

"Wong was the best cook in all the world," Wright said. "He became a member of our family and rode bikes and played cards with us. He would not, however, ride a horse."

Wright also remembers Mrs. Balfe's Pekinese dog "Poofy" who had a gold tooth and McLaglen's wife, Enid, who owned several hunting hounds and accompanied the men on hunts.

"The years spent on the ranch were happy years," Wright said. "My sister and I learned a lot about many things. We worked shelling almonds, cutting peaches and apricots, picking figs and whatever else my mother or father needed from us. I liked brushing the horses best of all. I would walk them around after they had been ridden so they could cool down. Then we had to clean the saddles and put them away in the tack room."

McLaglen sold the ranch in 1950 to farmer William Bizieff, and Tim Indart's father John Indart bought the property in 1953. The house was in shambles for years until Tim and Andrea Indart came along. The ranch had been primarily used as just that -- a ranch -- with the Indart family residing in Fresno. When Tim Indart brought his future bride to see the place he planned to farm, she fell in love with the charm and history of the house and they decided to live there and fix it up.

"We just loved the old house, and the grounds were beautiful," Andrea Indart said. "We could see there was such potential."

The young pair lived in the servants' quarters while they restored the house. There was no air conditioning or heating system, and they repaired countless leaky roofs.

"We've woken up to many leaky roofs," Tim Indart said. "The bedrooms have leaked, the living room has leaked, the kitchen has leaked."

They added 1,000 square feet to create a 5,000-square-foot home, constructed a backyard patio out of brick and railroad ties, dug a swimming pool and groomed the surrounding landscape of huge oaks and palm trees.

"We worked on the restoration as a family," Andrea Indart said about their four children. "The boys especially helped their father renovate and they learned hard work by living on the ranch. That was invaluable."

There were a couple of surprising discoveries during the renovation. The former library was lined with beautiful redwood shelves and had a granite fireplace mined from nearby hills. Solid brass and crystal chandeliers hung from the ceilings.

"When I had this one fixed, I had to have two men carry it," Andrea Indart said about one of the chandeliers.

Andrea Indart has filled the house with period pieces to preserve the history of the house. The California mission-style house is a museum of antique beds, grand pianos and original floors, tubs and toilets.

"It was important to us to maintain the architectural integrity of the house," she said. "We wanted to keep that as our ultimate goal."

The house sits on a 550-acre working ranch, and the Indarts raise sheep, and grow oranges, almonds and cherries. "Just being here is special. Just the history of the place," Tim Indart said. "It gives me a great deal of satisfaction to know I've been able to keep this farm in the family and scratch a living out here."

Building Memories is an occasional series profiling historic homes and buildings in Clovis. To submit a suggestion, e-mail Gabriel Alexander at galexander@clovisindependent.com.