Gilman Ranch

This week's column was on a place not far from Palm Springs. It's a fine museum of late Victorian life that belonged to a Mr. Gilman. He came out from the East Coast and began to raise cattle here in the late 1880's. The house is now a replica as the original burnt down in the early 1970's. Nonetheless, it gives one a feel for how life was lived by "respectable" people way back when.

I was particularly taken by the stove in the kitchen area. It was a monster of epic proportions, and could switch from wood to coal at the pull of a lever. The recipe book for dishes of the time did not encourage me to try any. Mr Gilman must have enjoyed really bland flavors. The recipe for chicken pot pie consisted of: chicken, water, flour, fat, an onion and some salt and pepper. Not exactly mouth watering!