With two buildings marked for fire demolition, hope remains for Bascom Ranch

April 05--VICTORVILLE -- A fire-training exercise on vacant land once owned by famed cowboy painter and rodeo champion Earl Bascom is scheduled to proceed Friday, but the number of marked buildings has decreased, according to the attorney for the property's owner.

Peter Allan told the Daily Press all eight buildings on the 16-acre ranch adjacent to the Mojave River near D Street were initially destined for demolition as part of the Victor Valley College (VVC) 49th Firefighter I Academy's training after an agreement was reached between the owner and the college.

A Daily Press editorial written by John Bascom -- Earl Bascom's son -- that argued the ranch's historical significance spurred hesitation, though. Allan said the training was subsequently cancelled at the request of VVC Superintendent/President Roger Wagner before being altered to include only two buildings on the property's lower level.

"There's nothing historical or valuable about those two buildings," Allan said. "Those buildings are going to be eliminated because the city deems them to be a nuisance ... If Mr. Bascom wants to save his buildings, he has to buy the property or move the house to some other property he owns."

Allan acknowledged that John Bascom, who lives in Utah, and a potential buyer recently initiated talks with the owner. The derelict buildings will be spared if an offer is accepted Thursday.

Reached by phone, John Bascom said he learned of VVC's training when his wife saw a Facebook photo of "a fireman preparing for the burn." A former president of the Mohahve Historical Society, Bascom's frustration stems from his knowledge of the ranch's rich past.

"I want to encourage the preservation of local history, not burn it down. It doesn't matter the condition," Bascom said. "Of course it costs to preserve these things ... It's not going to happen overnight, but give us a chance. (We're) trying to come up with a price."

In the 1930s, the ranch was owned by Fred Bosch, a local butcher who emigrated from Germany, according to Dr. Leo Lyman's "History of Victor Valley" book. Given Bosch's profession, the property was the site of the Victor Valley's first meat market and slaughterhouse.

Writer and journalist Walter Isaacson's biography of Albert Einstein noted that the world-renowned theoretical physicist "sunbathed nude in the Mojave desert while at a friend's house," amid a 1931 tour of Southern California. That friend was Bosch and the house was his ranch located near Stoddard Wells Road, according to Lyman's book. The odd, albeit compelling, claim to fame featured heavily in John Bascom's editorial.

"The Bosch Ranch there in Victorville is the only ranch in the world that Albert Einstein lived on," he wrote. "And we are going to burn it all down? Why? Save it."

Earl Bascom purchased the ranch in 1975, which John Bascom said increased its historical value given his late father's celebrity and contributions to Western art and culture.

Widely regarded among the most famous rodeo cowboys and artists, Earl Bascom is a member of more than 20 halls of fame, including VVC's and the California Rodeo Hall of Fame.

He set up his painting and sculpture studios in Bosch's former meat market. Next to it, in the old slaughterhouse, the artist formed the High Desert's first bronze-casting foundry.

"All this history, all this heritage, and now you are permitting the burning of his home, studio and foundry?" John Bascom wrote. "And with it goes all the historical evidence of the pioneers and of Einstein? Why? Save it."

The current owner purchased the ranch from a trust in 2014, according to Allan. At the time, he also owned Protech Minerals on D Street and planned to use the buildings for storage.

Today, however, the site sits dilapidated and abused. Victorville officials red tagged the main house in 2016, according Allan, who said restoration of the buildings would bring a six-figure cost.

"People were using it as a city dump. The barn was full of trash," Allan said. "One building had about 30 tires it. The buildings on the lower level had marijuana grows in them. Everything was tagged with graffiti.

"Right now my client is responsible ... He was hit with a $12,000 fine eight months ago. He asked me to negotiate with the city. The city agreed if we cleaned the whole place up, got rid of the trash, demolished all the buildings -- or brought them up to code -- that would satisfy them and they'd reduce the fine to $7,000. My client has paid that fine."

City spokesperson Sue Jones confirmed Victorville required compliance after multiple Code Enforcement violations, adding that the owner made an effort to comply. The city's priority is community safety, she said.

"The property owner has options for how to bring the property into compliance, such as rehab/cleanup or demolition," Jones said. "The property owner chose to request a controlled burn to be carried out by the Victor Valley College fire training program. To be clear, this is private property, and the manner of compliance is at the discretion of the owner."

Originally, buildings on the ranch's upper level were scheduled to burn Friday and Saturday with a burn of the lower-level buildings set for April 27, according to Allan. The owner paid more than $14,000 for the permit, inspection and asbestos removal.

More costs were incurred to remove four 55-gallon drums of used oil from the premise. The owner has "quite a bit of investment in getting those buildings demolished," Allan said.

VVC spokesperson Robert Sewell said school fire instructors will be on site Friday to ensure the barn and other upper-level buildings remain intact.

"Our students will be participating in burning whatever doesn't have historical ties," Sewell said. "Peter Allan, last year he was the interim superintendent/president, so he knows the importance of these type of opportunities for our students to be participating in a live fire."

As for the remaining buildings, Allan said the window could open to burn them later this year.

"I'm going to try to get an extension on the upper buildings until October," Allan said. "They will not be burned as long as the city gives me permission."

In the interim, he said that affords John Bascom and the potential buyer -- who declined to comment for this story -- time to strike a deal with the owner.

Matthew Cabe can be reached at [email protected] or at 760-951-6254. Follow him on Twitter @DP_MatthewCabe.

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