>>Coming up on
America's Heartland, we're visiting a place you've
likely never heard of before! >>It's a friendly town,
everybody knows everybody, everybody knows everybody's
business. [laughs] >>We have a
t-shirt that says, "Where the hell's Likely."
[laughs] >>Saddle up and come along
on a cattle drive in the tiny town of
Likely, California. >>You hate to give up what
you worked for all your life. >>As the rancher
leading the cattle looks to secure
his family legacy. >>We are about to turn this
outfit over to the kids, it's what we need to do.
I mean, it's our livelihood. >>You gonna stick around? >>Sure, I-
I peeled off already. Went to go see what-
what else is out there for a short time and realized
how much I liked this place. >>The town struggles
with an unknown future. >>They're threatening to
close our post office. And if we don't have
a post office and school, we don't have a town. >>Meet the people who are
working to keep Likely and its cattle
ranching heritage alive for future generations. >>Up until the
last few years when cattle prices
have got good, there just wasn't enough
income to go around. >>Most of us who live here
hate to see what's happening. >>Lots of changes,
lots of changes. >>Stay tuned for a very
special America's Heartland. ♪♪ >>America's Heartland
is made possible by... >>CropLife America-
Representing the companies whose modern
farming innovations help America's farmers
provide nutritious food for communities
around the globe. The Fund for
Agriculture Education- A fund created
by KVIE to support America's Heartland
programming. Contributors include
the following... ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >>There's an old saying
that the first family makes the ranch and
the second one uses it and the third one
loses it [laughs] so we hope that's not
the case. [laughs] ♪♪ >>All this stuff
takes a while, but it's good for all
day once you get it on. From the school
of hard knocks is the way I learned most of it. >>You gonna take
another saddle? >>This is my old saddle
that came off JT. >>Oh. They're- they're
thinking, y'know, there's other ways
to do this, y'know, and so they're gonna be able
to find out on their own. Well we are just about
ready to go I guess. >>Rancher Ken McGarva
has cattle to move. ♪♪ ♪♪ >>Soon warm sunshine will give way to snowfall
in the Warner Mountains where the 250 mother
cows and calves have been grazing all summer. ♪♪ Today is the second
leg of the 20 mile trip. ♪♪ Ken remembers his first
time making this journey well >>When I was ten years old, I went out to
wrangle the horses and I neglected to cinch up
my saddle tight enough after I put it on again. And we were chasing these
horses down a hill side, and my horse stumbled in
a badger hole on the hill. And my saddle turned, and
I pulled the horse over and she fell down and
rolled over on top of me. >>65 years later,
Ken's daughter Rhonda and his son Shane are here. Also helping,
the next generation of the McGarva family
and some ranch hands. It's time to get the
cattle off the mountain and back to the home ranch
just outside the town of Likely, California
for the winter. ♪♪ It's Ken McGarva's last time
leading this annual journey. ♪♪ ♪♪ As the cattle start moving, Likely, California
comes to life. ♪♪ [sound of coffee pouring] At the Most Likely Café,
cook Gennie Canon (??? ) is heating things up. ♪♪ Trucker Walter Sphar is
ready to haul some cattle. >>Just down the
street Carol Weed is getting the day started
at the Likely General Store. >>They come in for
groceries, dog food, oil for their car,
a gift for a wedding. You name it,
I have it. [laughs] >>The eclectic general store fits this town
with a funny name. Townspeople drop in
for daily provisions. >>Okay, we'll get
some more ordered. >>There's a gas pump
out front. >>It has gas and diesel. >>Which is good news for folks passing through
on Highway 395. Likely is located in
Modoc County, California. There are less than three
people per square mile in this rural northeast
county on the Oregon border. >>It's a friendly town;
everybody knows everybody, everybody knows everybody's
business. [laughs] >>Six, seven, eight,
nine, ten and twenty. >>Okay, thank you. >>Right now is
hunting season. I don't think I've had a
hunter in today, yet though. >>Carol and her husband
moved to Likely from the California Coast
38 years ago and bought the store
a few years later. >>The first five years
it was 24-hours a day, and that's not real easy
on a new marriage. [laughs] It was- we'd get
tired of each other. But then after that I started
working at the school. >>She says Likely was a great
place to raise their daughter Carol's husband
recently passed away, so now she runs the store
with some volunteer help from Ken McGarva's
granddaughter, Richelle. The store is Likely's
gathering spot for locals. >>They all come in a
couple times a day. >>That's Ken's wife Jackie
dropping in to say, "Hello." ♪♪ >>Well, it's been
a way of life and a good- good living for me. >>If you need something
hauled in Likely, call Walter Sphar. His trucking and tire
business is rolling along with 8 employees;
he's been at it a while. When he and his wife
Joyce first got to Likely, Harry Truman was in
the White House. >>48, 49, 50.
1948, 49, and 50. And it was a
booming town then. We had two grocery stores,
a hotel. We had an all-night
restaurant, and a bar. Saloon and another shop. We had a peat moss
plant here at that time, worked 8 to 10 people
all the time. And it was a booming town. >>They fell in love with
the town and never left. Work was easier to
come by back then. >>In those days it
took a lot of people to feed the cows,
put up the hay. Now one guy can take this
new machinery out there and he can put up more hay
in one day than 20 would. >>Some of my older
uncles first came here, they were working on the
railroad between Madeline and Likely and the railroad
crew started coming in, there was like 2 to
4 thousand people lived in Likely
there at one time. And a lot of them, y'know,
thery just migrated on through as the railroad
went, or most of them. 'Cause now the
population sign says 200, but we have a hard time
counting 200. [laughs] >>In fact the
200 is covered up and the sign needs
updating again. Officially 63 people
now live in Likely. The railroad and
other employers that once made Likely a
boom town are long gone. >>Other than the ranching
industry that's here, well, there's not much
to keep it going. >>The opportunity that brought
Ken McGarva's ancestors... Walter Sphar and Carol Weed,
to Likely is fading. The school where
Carol worked for 28 years closed its doors
a few years ago. The few remaining
kids in the town take the bus
to a nearby city. >>It was sad, none of
us wanted it to close and they're threatening
to close our post office. And if we don't have a
post office and school, we don't have a town
I don't think, and most everybody here
feels that way. >>It's a familiar refrain
in rural communities. With few jobs available, the next generation is
forced to move away. Carol Weed's
daughter now lives 300 miles away in Eureka. Walter Sphar's children
moved away too. >>I never wanted to move,
I like the country; a lot of nice people here. They've all been good loyal
people and it's a good place. I don't know of
anywhere I'd rather be. If I was to quit today I
wouldn't want to go anywhere. I've traveled all over
state of California and half the other
states around here and I don't know of a place I'd
rather be than right here. ♪♪ [cows mooing] >>Ken McGarva didn't
leave Likely either, he and his brother bought
their father's ranch in 1968. ♪♪ His daughter
Rhonda lives here and helps with the cattle. >>How we doing so far,
Rhonda? >>We're doing pretty good,
we've got quite a bit- few- many calves in the back. That I'd like to see
more cows back here but I think the leads
still up here, so we'll- if we can get the calves pushed ahead of some
of the cows and they get the cows wrapped
in around behind 'em, you'll some mothered up. >>So you wanna- you
wanna get the mothers and the calves together? >>Yes, yes. There's a lot
less stress on all of 'em, your calves will use a lot
less energy when they're- know that their mother's
just a little ways away. Instead of- they think
their mothers are still back behind us in the field
where they just came from. >>It's a family affair. Ken's son Shane
lives near Sacramento but still knows how
to crack a bull whip, so he comes back to
help round up the cattle. [calling to cattle] Shane's son-in-law Justin
and his son Jared are also keeping the cattle moving. Boy, it strikes me this is a real family
operation you got here. >>Yeah sure, and most of
the people that work for us if they aren't related, we- y'know, we usually feel like
they're family eventually. But definitely, it's a
family- a family operation for more than a
hundred years now, and we've really, really
been lucky and blessed. This place has
given us a lot, and we try hard to
give back to it. [laughs] >>You know, I notice, you know a lot of family
members in various families, ranching and farming families,
generation after generation, they kind of peel off,
move away... >>Sure. >>You gonna stick around? >>Sure, I peeled off already.
Went to go see what- what else is out there
for a short time and realized how much
I liked this place. So, yeah, I'm gonna
stick around. My wife's having a
little baby and we have a- we already have a
nine year old girl and so, if they want to
stick around they can and do this and if not, they can go check out the
world their own way, so... >>And tell me
about coming back, you decided to come back. >>Yeah, went off to school
and got a teaching credential and stuck that out
for a couple of years. And this is where
my hearts at, so... Working for Ken
has been a blessing, it's been very
challenging at times 'cause we're not always
seeing eye to eye, but for the most part,
it's been a very nice way to wake up every day
and go live my life. I couldn't ask for
a more fair boss, and we've learned a lot
from my grandparents, and my dad,
and uncle and aunt. >>Keeping family
close is important. Ken's brother Duane hung up his ranching hat
several years ago and is the historian and
photographer of the family. The first McGarva's arrived in California from
Scotland in 1903. >>And then in 1912,
my grandparents, my dad, two brothers and a sister came over and they were
going down to Liverpool to get on the Titanic, but
they had over-booked it, or had filled it up,
and so they didn't get on, which was a pretty
good break. [laughs] >>Duane's photographs capture
the beauty of the area and this family's heritage. >>One thing I
want to mention about this valley and Likely, we
have all had good neighbors, and that- everybody gets
along, works together and everybody gathers everybody
else's cattle in the fall. You don't ride by and say, "Well that's so and so's, he
can come get his own cow." It- we don't do that here. My father and all the
other neighbors around here, their fathers
and grandfathers, they all worked together so
it's just passed on down, generation to generation. ♪♪ >>Ken McGarva is
in front today. Alone, leading the cattle. He can't see his
family members bringing up the rear,
they are too far back. He must trust that they are
keeping the cattle in line. In a few months those
cowboys in the back will get their chance
to be in charge. The next generation
of McGarva's will purchase a portion
of his cattle ranch. And like that faith
he has in them now, he'll have to trust that
they're getting the job done. >>Oh it's- it's
what we need to do. I mean, it's our livelihood.
A lot of guys say, "What are you going to
do when you retire?" Some of them say,
"Buy a ranch." [laughs] We are about to turn this
outfit over to the kids and Jackie and I
bought another house across this valley over
here, and so we're- we'll be moving over there
in the next few months, and see how the kids
make out I guess. >>Ken and Jackie got
married as teenagers and have spent their
life on the ranch. Full-time ranchers
don't get many days off, so after Ken retires Jackie is looking forward
to being able to travel. >>That's on our honeymoon.
[laughs] >>Taking a picture of me. >>We were taking pictures
of each other. [laughs] >>I ask Ken what his
family means to him. >>Well that's a tough one. I love my wife
more than anything. ♪♪ [calling to cattle] >>Jared McGarva has plans for the future of
his family's ranch. He's exploring direct
to customer beef sales. The future of Likely is
also on Jared's mind. >>Oh, heck yeah.
We've got- we've got maybe, I don't know, four or five
different young families that are startin' up
that are about my age, in their early '30s,
and late '20s. And a lot of young guys
like Jesse and Alex over here that- that they're
just about thinking about that type of stuff.
So it's- it's all we can do. We try hard to- to keep
people in the town. [laughs] Yeah, we need more
babies. [laughs] ♪♪ >>As the cattle come down
off the dusty mountain road, Ken stops them at
a fenced in area on the edge of the highway. While the calves find
their mothers... >>Cutest cowboy on the range. >>...Family members stop by and the cowboys get a
few minutes to relax. >>I did this in
Quincy one time; I was getting ropes
to make sure... ♪♪ >>And the youngest
generation of McGarva's gets a feel for the saddle. Likely is just a
few miles down the road. >>The lunch rush is on
at the Most Likely Café. >>Hamburger... >>It's a small crowd. Folks here are concerned
about the future but there is resilience in their
spirit and signs of hope. There are plans to turn
that closed down school into a community center. Volunteers still report for
duty at the fire department. And the area continues
to be popular for out-of-town hunters. One question those visitors
always seem to have, "What's with this
town's unusual name?" >>Well the story is that
they were all together and they were trying
to come up with a name so they could
have a post office. >>The early settlers then, before it was named Likely
it was called South Fork. >>Well there's already
a South Fork California, so they couldn't have that. >>So they said well we'll
have to change the name, so there was a
bunch of old guys sitting around the
store in Likely and they were trying to
decide what to name it. >>Just kept coming
up with names. And they weren't-
nothing was working. And some guy said,
"Do you think we are ever likely to get a
name for this town?" >>One of them says, "It's likely we'll
never find a name for it." >>The other old guy said
well let's call it "Likely." So, that's how it
got its name. >>That's the story I heard. Is that the one
you are hearing, too? >>Is that a true story? >>That is a true story. ♪♪ >>And if you are
headed into Likely for lunch on this
early afternoon, you might want to
avoid Highway 64. ♪♪ The last two miles
of today's trip are down the road to the
pasture on the edge of town. ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ There's still one more
leg of the cattle drive to go before the cattle
get to the McGarva ranch, but tonight... they rest. >>Oysters are ready. >>Back at the ranch,
the family gathers for fresh oysters
right off the grill. This is California of course,
but it's also cattle country, so Jackie has made
a beef pot roast. Ken and Jackie's son
Ross McGarva and his wife Kelly
are here from Oregon. >>That can just stay in
the container it's in. >>Ross will also be a
part of the next group in charge of the ranch. After a long day on horseback
they've earned this moment. >>Cheers. >>They'll be back out with
the cattle soon enough. ♪♪ As the sun sets on
Likely tonight, the town faces an
uncertain future. >>There's lots of
little towns like the several between
here and Reno that the same thing's happened to. Little town of
Madeline over here, all it's got in it
now is a post office. And the store and café there
is closed and the gas station Most of us who live here
hate to see what's happening. Y'know, we're hoping
something can happen to keep it like it is. >>As for Ken McGarva,
he learned early. Sit tall in the saddle and
make sure it's cinched tight. Most importantly, let the
horse know who is in charge. So imagine letting go, your
legacy, your family name. >>You know,
you hate to give up what you worked
for all your life. >>Handing down a ranch is one of the most difficult
things a family can face. Disagreements lead to
discord and a family legacy ends up in the hands of
the highest bidder instead of the next generation. The McGarva's admit they aren't immune
to those challenges; there are reminders
all around them. >>We've got two of the old
family ranches here now that are in absentee ownership and
they don't even live here. >>The devil is
in the details, and the McGarva's are
still working those out, but Ken vows to help the next
generation with the ranch. Soon he'll no longer be
leading the cattle, but this cowboy hanging
up his hat for good? Not likely. Before we go, just
a reminder to visit our America's
Heartland website. You'll find us at
AmericasHeartland.org Thanks for being with us.
We'll see you next time, right here on
America's Heartland. >>You can purchase a DVD or
Blu Ray copy of this program. Here's the cost: To order, just visit us
online or call 888-814-3923 ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >>America's Heartland
is made possible by... >>CropLife America-
Representing the companies whose modern
farming innovations help America's farmers
provide nutritious food for communities
around the globe. The Fund for
Agriculture Education- A fund created
by KVIE to support America's Heartland
programming. Contributors include
the following:
