We are located in the tiny town of Home in Western Washington, across the Narrows Bridge and southwest of Gig Harbor. Home was developed in the early 20th century as a planned utopian community; back in the days when a robust mosquito fleet plied the waters of Puget Sound, this small colony on the banks of Joe's Bay (now officially called Von Geldern Cove) was known for its socialists, its anarchists, and its endorsement of free love. And, of course, its huckleberries.
Our farm has always been known as the Circle B Ranch; it was originally a homestead with 160 acres (a quarter of a section). The deed dates to 1870, which would make it one of the very first houses on the Peninsula. When we tried to register 'Circle B' with the American Dairy Goat Association, that herdname was, not surprisingly, already in use. So we named our herd "Herron Hill," after a little dot on the map between Joe's Bay and the Herron Island Ferry landing.
No, it's not a typo: microscopic Herron Island, probably the smallest inhabited island in the Puget Sound, is named for Lewis Herron, a barrel-maker on the Wilkes expedition, which mapped much of the inland waterway. Coincidentally, we often have great blue herons visiting or nesting in the wetland behind the farm.
The old cottage here was a country store where people came to buy and sell eggs, butter and home-grown produce. Now that we have our Grade A dairy license, we plan to use it (eventually) as our farm store.
We raise primarily LaMancha, miniature (a cross between full-size and Nigerian Dwarf goats), and Nigerian Dwarf Goats. We do have the odd - and I mean odd - Nubian, along with an occasional Toggenburg.