Unoccupied Historic Ranch   
Mono County
Circa 1885 to 1930's 

The Filosena Ranch was one of the first homesteads on the Mono Basin. The ranch was operated by Mary Filosena whom married twice yet maintained control of the ranch. For some time Mary Filosena grew rhubarb which she sold to miners in Lundy Canyon and Bodie. The ranch would later be leased for sheep herding in to the 1930's when the City of Los Angeles purchased the ranch. This homestead is also the site where Sheriff Jim Dolan was ambushed. The details of the story along with photos can be found at the Mono Basin Historic Society in Lee Vining.

Once on a lush peaceful flat that overlooked the Mono Lake, The old ranch house still stands abandoned near a ditch accompanying a hand full of aged cottonwood trees. Volunteer efforts are slowly under way to brace and delay the decay of the old ranch house. Still a peaceful place to take a walk and overlook the Basin, the Filosena Ranch is a neat place to visit and observe how these historic homesteads are grasping for survival among a changing time. 

Working Filosena Ranch Courtesy of Mono Basin Historic Society