Irvine, Flint and Bixby ranches were devoted to sheep grazing and tenant farming which was permitted during the 1870s. In 1878, James Irvine acquired his partners' interests for $150,000.
His 110,000 acres stretched 23 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Santa Ana River. When James Irvine, Jr., died in 1947 at the age of 80, he was succeeded by his son Myford, who began making small sections of the ranch available for urban development.
Cattle were introduced into the area in 1834, and a prosperous hide and tallow industry developed. Years later a severe drought brought an end to the area’s cattle industry—and James Irvine, an Irish immigrant, and other entrepreneurs established the 110,000-acre sheep ranch on the land. Today this property is one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in America.
In 1894, James Irvine, Jr., incorporated the ranch he inherited from his father and formed The Irvine Company. Operations shifted from raising sheep and cattle to growing field crops, olives and citrus.
By 1918, some 60,000 acres of lima beans were being grown on the Irvine Ranch. During World War II, two Marine Corps air facilities were built on land that the Irvine Company sold to the government.
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