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Bohna sisters honored

long Mountain Area ranching history

(Updated: Thursday, April 28, 2011, 2:40 PM)

Raised on a Coarsegold cattle ranch, the 2011 Coarsegold Rodeo Grand Marshals will also be the first pair of sisters in the history of the rodeo to hold the honor -- Cindy Bohna-Gonzalez and Diane Bohna will make their grand entrance at noon Sunday.

The two sisters were born to Henry and Elizabeth Bohna, third generation cattle ranchers and ranching became an integral part of their lives.

"My life has always revolved around ranching, rodeo and the natural world," Cindy said. "From my first cattle-drive to stubble fields in the valley riding an old sorrel at 4 years old, the seven-day drives during the '70s and even now on the two-day cattle-drives, the tradition lives on and gives meaning to my life."

Although Cindy now lives in Hornitos in Mariposa County, she says she still thinks of Coarsegold as her hometown. As a child she attended Coarsegold Elementary, then attended Sierra High School. She furthered her education at California State University, Fresno, and went on to work at Zacky Farms after college graduation until her father, Henry Bohna, passed away.

It was then that she, along with brother Tom Bohna and sister Diane, took over the Bohna Ranch until they decided to split the ranch between them.

While on the ranch in the mid-1980s, one of the ranch hands caught Cindy's eye -- in 1990 she married J. Antonio (Tony) Gonzalez and later had twin daughters, Rebecca and Christina. In 1997, they moved to the ranch where they now reside in Hornitos.

"We have continued to run our cattle operation almost the same way my father did," she said. "During the winter and spring seasons we run the cattle in Hornitos, in the summer and early fall we bring the cattle to the Sierra Nevada. Some aspects of the cattle industry have inevitably changed, but the basics skills of working cattle, long, slow cattle-drives and spending the summers in the cool Sierra Nevada are very akin to the early days. My family and I plan on continuing the ranching traditions for as long as we are able ... and have worked hard and sacrificed many things to make sure the ranch will be around for a long time in the future."

Conservation is very important to Cindy and her family. Not long ago they completed a Conservation Easement on their property.

"I am so grateful to the Sierra Foothill Conservancy and Sierra Nevada Conservancy for their contributions and hard work to make it happen," Cindy said.Cindy said her earliest memory of the rodeo goes back to when she was 5 years old when she, Tom Bohna, Mel Espe and Tommy Whitfield all dressed up in full western gear and went on the Al Radka show to promote the rodeo. She also remembers the anticipation of, and participating in, the calf scramble "even though I had slim chances of winning," she said. "I still ran and ran; trying to catch a calf until I was completely wore out."

She also participated in many of the junior rodeo events, winning her share of buckles and ribbons.

"I would like to thank my brother Tom and all who make the rodeo possible each year and for thinking of me for this honor," Cindy said. "We are very fortunate to have had many friends help us on the ranch over the years. Many have passed away, but many still remain and are an integral part of our operation. Without these kinds of people we would lose the cattle ranching lifestyle."

Diane also pursued higher education and graduated from California State University, Fresno, with a degree in Ag Business, even though, she said, her heart was devoted to helping her father on the ranch.

She spent her childhood balancing school, chores, brandings and moving cattle from one field to the next alongside her parents and siblings.

"Summer's always came with the duty of managing 400 to 600 head of cattle on our seven-day, cross country, cattle drive to the Sierra Nevada," she said. "There, in the humble cabin my father built, we spent the months of summer among towering mountains, elegant meadows and pristine and powerful rivers as our time was occupied with work and managing on limited supplies. At the time I am sure the solitary work did not seem all that great, but I have grown to realize they are the very treasures of my youth."

Diane is now living out her dream, she said, managing a Raymond cattle ranch. She takes in pairs and yearlings as pasture cattle for the winter season along with managing her own herd.

"Myself, along with my daughter Justina and her husband Robert, extended family, and many, many good friends, carry on the tradition of my late father, taking 320 head of cattle on a four-day cross country cattle drive to and from the Sierras every summer," she said. "I enjoy the opportunity to teach a new generation in the ethics of honest hard work, the value of preserving the balance between the land and the cattle, and the precious treasure of working as a family."

Over the years she has held a number of positions including Madera County Cattlemen's Association president for two terms, Mariposa Farm Bureau president and has been a representative of California Cattlemen's Association and the California Farm Bureau as chair of the Publics Lands in Washington, D.C. She also enjoys photography, adding she is "dedicated to documenting the beauties and value of ranching, nature and the human spirit." She has had a number of her photographs published in various magazines, calendars and books, including the Western Horseman.

"It is such a privilege to be honored as a grand marshal for this rodeo," Diane said. "I remember one day long ago, sitting out on a rolling hill of our Coarsegold ranch and my father saying to me, 'Diane, you think that would make a good place for a rodeo arena?' My reply, 'Yep,' -- and the work began." It was then that the Coarsegold Rodeo grounds were built.

"With each season the Coarsegold Rodeo had its own special time organizing, preparing and helping with whatever was needed to make that special event the first weekend of May as good as it could be," Diane said. "From carrying the flag in the grand entry, running the bucking stock through the chutes, doing grunt work, and even sometimes competing in the festivities we, the Bohnas, somehow became a rodeo family. So now, each May, we gather with family, friends and strangers to celebrate a tradition grounded in roots of generations past, and breathe the life that made us who we are proud to be. Thank you to the Coarsegold Rodeo Committee for this honor."