In 1995, California natives, David and Susan Semas decided it was time to leave the hustle and bustle of Southern California, specifically the Newport Beach and Irvine areas, for the wide-open spaces and breathtaking views of Northern Nevada.

Less than an hour from Reno and just over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range from the shores of Lake Tahoe, lies a beautiful valley with lush, scenic rural character that has defined its quality of life since first being settled as a part of Utah Territory, (as it was called), in 1851. Utah Territory was admitted into the Union and President Abraham Lincoln helped make Nevada the 36th State of the United States of America on October 31, 1864.

The Mormons, Kit Carson, Virginia City, Mark Twain, the Pony Express and the therapeutic David Walley’s Hot Springs of Genoa all contributed to Northern Nevada’s colorful past. Pine trees, cottonwoods, aspens, willows, sage brush and magnificent large boulders define the valley's western edge and agriculture and working farms, cattle and horse ranches, have kept much of the area open and relatively undeveloped. A fertile and water rich high desert valley, comprised of the quaint town’s of Gardnerville, Minden and Genoa make up this rural community called the “Carson Valley”.

After searching for several years, in June of 1999, David and Susan were able to assemble and acquire a spectacular 34-acre parcel of land in the Town of Gardnerville, 400 feet above the valley floor, nestled at the base and on the eastern slope of the Sierra’s beneath the majestic snow covered “Job’s Peak”. If there was ever a piece of land that captured the magnificence and beauty of Robert Redford's, 1992 epic classic master piece film, "A River Runs through It", this was it. Like much of the western foothills and most of Nevada’s high desert, “Buffalo Creek Ranch”, as it was named, was covered with sage, bitter and rabbit brush.

What made this property extremely unique and reminiscent of Montana or Colorado was the fact that it also had some 45 substantial Jeffrey Pines, many Ponderosa Pines and Douglas Fir and literally thousands of enormous Aspen trees, some measuring 18” to 20” in diameter, lining two year round creeks, called “Sheridan and Little Barber”. The Nevada Division of Forestry has confirmed that this particular aspen stand is about one hundred (100) years old and is one of the largest and healthiest aspen stands of its kind in all of Northern Nevada.

According to David Semas, a former Northern California builder and real estate developer, “the challenge to master plan, engineer, design and develop a one of a kind, Tuscan ranch style, orchard and vineyard hillside property, without disturbing or impacting the beautiful natural surroundings God has created over millions of years, was then, and continues to be a formidable task.”

In order to soften the visual impact of the ranch, with reference to the various building structures, out buildings and two (2) residences, the decision was made to locate most architectural structures in the center of the property or in the middle of aspen trees between Sheridan Creek and Little Barber Creek. The perimeter of the ranch was then designed as the receiving area for most of the proposed agricultural operation, much of which has already been put into permanent open space as defined by the apple orchard, vineyard, horse pasture, wild life habitat and flood control ponds.

For greater circulation so as not to infringe on the privacy of adjacent property owners, two (2) separate entrances were incorporated into the master plan. The primary Buffalo Creek Ranch guest entrance (mail also) is located at 301 Five Creek Road, Gardnerville, NV 89460, which is inside the security gates of the exclusive 1,000 acre, Job’s Peak Ranch Development private community.

The secondary or delivery entrance was constructed out of 2” x 8” cedar planks and 3” black metal straps to resemble wine barrels. This security-gated entrance is located at 319 Jones Lane, which is at the end of a county dedicated road, directly off of Foothill Road. Buffalo Creek Ranch lies at the far westerly edge of the Town of Gardnerville, Nevada, 10 miles south of Carson City and about 13 miles east of Stateline, Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

The property is less that 1/2 mile from the California state line, directly off and west of Foothill Road (both the Job’s Peak Ranch Development entrance and Jones Lane), approximately 2 miles south of State Highway #207 (the “Kingsbury Grade”) and about 8 miles south of the historical Town of Genoa (founded by the Mormon's in 1851).

The master plan calls for 25 acres of open space, comprised of a five (5) acre of apple orchard (completed in 2004), a three (3) acre peach, pear, cherry, apricot and walnut tree orchard (projected in 2006), a seven (7) acre vineyard (2006), three (3) acre horse pasture (2003), five (5) acres of wild life habitat grazing (partially in, with the balance projected for 2006 and 2007), two (2) acres of flood control water features consisting of eight (8) separate ponds, five (5) waterfalls and six (6) streams (three (3) of the eight (8) ponds are completed with the balance projected for 2006 and 2007). The final master plan also calls for over three hundred (300) landscaping trees including tree lining most Buffalo Creek roads with Aristocratic Flowering Pear trees (100 installed to date), forty (40) Sequoia Redwoods on the westerly property boundary directly behind the Tuscan Villa residence site were planted in 2004 and a variety of other trees including Weeping Willows, Mountain Ash, Quaking Aspens, Choke Cherries, Austrian and Ponderosa Pines. Additionally, a wide variety of plants and shrubs have been and will be planted throughout the ranch including beautiful Red Twigged and Variegated Dogwoods, Wild Roses, Day-Lilies and Poppies.

For a total list of completed and proposed building structures and other physical improvements, please visit our Updates page.