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Al Guaspari, as seen on his horse 'Ace'

The story of Rancho Alena begins in 1961 when my grandfather realized his dream of owning a ranch and breeding and raising Black Angus Cattle. The ranch was started by Al & Lena Guaspari, (hence the name 'Alena') in the small town of Bethel Island, California. Roundups, brandings, vaccinations & fence mending were all part of the work load and Al never had to look too hard for helping hands. Their only son Al jr. along with his wife Norma and their six children were eager to help with the many chores associated with ranching and would spend as much time on the ranch as possible on weekends and summers. Little did he know at the time that his grandson James, would share his passion for the ranching lifestyle so strongly that one day he would revive the name.

The new Rancho Alena, located in Penn Valley, California, sits upon 65 acres and the primary focus has shifted from raising cattle to raising and training quality performance Quarter Horses. The cattle are made up of longhorns and corriente steers used for roping and training our ranch horses. Please visit our ranch photos page.

Although Al & Lena are no longer with us their spirit remains and is honored here. And the memories of that ranch are constant in my thoughts and a source of inspiration for what I do now.

The original American Angus Association Certificate	Lena, Al, Al Jr. and Ida
Al and Son circa 1941	Lena posing for a picture
Ranch owner James (back) and his younger brother AJ (front)	Al and his '34 Ford