episode 12: RYAN Ranch
CRESTON, CALIFORNIA
Nancy & Noel Ryan
were married in 1974 and the fourth generation to live on their family ranch in Creston, California. While Noel worked off the ranch, Nancy was able to stay home with the kids which she describes as the best thing in the world. When they were scraping by, she would sew Noel his shirts for work. No matter what they faced, they got through it together.
Nancy says that while it’s important that “town people” have read stories about people living on a ranch, people like her family are still living it. They still grow their own garden, can vegetables, and butcher animals as a part of their everyday life. The kids grow up knowing about the land and natural life cycles, understanding the ranching world by living it without having to be taught. That way of living isn’t gone, it’s still here.
“Our ranch is our home. It’s not here to be sold, to be subdivided or anything. My goal has always been to have the family live on the ranch and then hopefully they have enough ownership in it to keep it to pass it along to the four grandchildren that are here someday.”
The Ryan family
grew barley, alfalfa, and raised cattle. Their oldest daughter Megan went to school to become an animal nutritionist with the plans to one day come back and make a living on the ranch. Her dad and uncle partnered on the ranch which eventually split and Megan witnessed the struggle of what it took to hold onto the land for the next generation.
She started her career working at Farm Supply Company, the local farmer-owned co-op, when she was 15 years old where she developed a love of the western industry and lifestyle in addition to the agriculture side of things.
Megan says it’s hard to make a living on the ranch in the traditional sense with cattle, grain, and hay. Alongside her parents, her siblings and her have talked about how they could sustain it for the next generation to come. They’ve all found creative ways to pursue careers off the ranch with the intention of continuing to help it grow.
Patrick O’Donavan immigrated from Ireland in the 1860s and settled in Creston, California. His daughter, Mary, married another Irishman named John Ryan. Together, they started the general mercantile store in the late 1880s where it still sits today.
When Megan’s husband Matt Allgood heard that the old mercantile store her great grandparents used to own was vacant, he called the owners to lease it for his leather shop which has since expanded into a full shop and boutique.
Matt Allgood, originally from Mississippi, met his wife Megan, the fifth generation on the Ryan Ranch, at the National Rodeo Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada. Together they have one daughter, Tatum. Matt is a leather worker by trade, custom building saddles, chaps, and more. Besides that, he says he just does what his wife tells him to do and helps his in-laws on the ranch staying horseback as much as he can.
Megan and Matt’s role isn’t just in leatherwork and managing the shop, but sharing their story and how agriculture looks different with visitors that come in from all over the world.
The tagline the Allgoods created for their shop in rural Creston is, “the real California.” The California they know is full of good, hard working people who love the agriculture and ranching lifestyle.
“We’re not rich, we’re not big business, we’re not factory farming. We’re family. It’s part of our heart, it’s part of our DNA, and we want to keep it going.” - Megan Allgood
Many of the struggles they encounter on the ranch have a lot to do with regulations and laws that continue to threaten their family’s legacy. While they may own their own land, coming up with the money just to pay the taxes and keep it continues to be a challenge year after year.
“The ranch is home. It’s not just an income source, it’s not just a legacy. It’s a lifestyle like no other. For families to grow up like that, it’s priceless.”
The BACKROAD COWGIRLS
are so grateful for the warm welcome to the Ryan Ranch and inside look at the Allgood Custom Leather shop. Matt even graciously shaped Kiah her very first straw cowboy hat that she will cherish for a lifetime. If you ever find yourself driving through Creston, make sure to pop into the shop and meet this incredible family in “the real California.” Don’t forget to tell them we sent you!
Brought to you in partnership with:
Photography by Shelby Caitlin Photography