The John Rice Family Leads the Way!

By Meg Wall-Wild

The Fortuna Rodeo honors the John Rice family as the 2023 Rodeo Grand Marshals! The Rice family has been a Fortuna fixture ever since John’s parents Lee and Toni purchased the 24,000-acre Fort Baker Ranch in 1951. Ten-year-old John hit the saddle and was rarely out of it ever after, sadly giving up the stirrups when he passed on earlier this year. His family will honor their lost patriarch as they lead the parade up Main Street on Saturday, July 15, starting at 11 a.m.

John met his wife-to-be Peggy at Fortuna High School before they both attended college. John studied animal science at California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo where he learned to love surfing, sans cowboy hat. While John was hanging 10, Peggy earned her teaching degree at the University of California at Davis. The couple married, settling into ranch life as John took over running Fort Baker Ranch in 1963. Later on, Peggy began teaching at Bridgeville School. Raising children Rich, Joe and Jenny on the family ranch expanded the intergenerational operation.

John barely kept still, serving the California Beef Council and the Humboldt County Cattlemen, only sitting when trail riding with the Frontier Boys or the Sonoma County Trailblazers. John followed in his father’s footsteps leading the way for sustainability and land stewardship, riparian restoration, manure management, and seasonal grazing rotation. Lee Rice was one of the first ranchers to advocate for and enroll their land in the California Land Conservation Act. Also known as the Williamson Act, it was an important legal tool to protect rangelands and ranching as a livelihood. John took up the standard, serving as an ad hoc Williamson Act Committee member in 2003.

John and his family understood the impact cattle can have on water. Their watershed management upgraded cattle crossings to stop bank erosion and stream disturbances, improving water quality. John’s e orts to improve his land and the quality of his beef were well known. He was awarded Ingomar Cattleman of the Year in 2003. The Rices’ stewardship also had positive e ects on salmonid streams and wildlife habitat. Their e orts did not go unnoticed. John and Peggy were awarded with the Buckeye Stewardship Award in 2014.

Not only do the Rices work to keep Humboldt sustainable, they also help keep Humboldt ranching! A 20-year partnership with now Cal Poly Humboldt brought future ranchers to their spread for field trips. They opened up their operations, showing the management philosophy of a successful ranch includes sustainability and stewardship. The Rice family gave range management students a golden opportunity to use Fort Baker Ranch for senior thesis projects. That investment into Humboldt’s ranching future is still paying o .

John and Peggy raised their family to understand ranching is more than making a living — it is a life. Rich, Joe and Jenny grew up on the range watching their industrious father in the saddle, tending his herd and protecting the land. John did it all, herding, branding, mending fences and clearing waterways. His children went on to raise their own children with the same hardworking ranch values. That heritage is now carried on by John and Peggy’s grandchildren, who saddled up with grandpa whenever they got the chance. John’s great grandchildren are now starting in the stirrups, something that would make their grandpa proud.

Peggy and her family hold the seat of honor, leading the 2023 Fortuna Rodeo Parade in John’s memory. Cheer on the John Rice family as the torch is passed to the next generation of ranchers! Thank them for helping Fortuna to continue ranching long into the future. ✪