The property now known as MacMurray Ranch was originally homesteaded by Colonel George Porter, who returned to the Russian River Valley in 1846 as a hero of the Mexican wars. Porter chose a homesite in a meadow nestled in a bend of the little stream that became known as Porter Creek, just a short way from where the creek empties into the Russian River. There was good land. Wild oats grew in abundance and wildflowers blossomed after the winter rains.     The MacMurray Ranch has a rich heritage. With its early Pioneer beginnings under the Porter's hand and Fred MacMurray's stewardship, the ranch was a solid contributor to California's agricultural industry. The tradition continues.         Porter's family stayed on the land for generations, farming livestock and crops on the rich silt soils of the valley floor. In 1941, Fred MacMurray, one of Hollywood's best-loved actors, bought the ranch from the Porters. He raised his family there and they enjoyed the natural wonders of Sonoma County and the rewarding lifestyle of a rancher. Fred was committed to farming the land.         Today, the ranch looks much as it did a century ago, surrounded by rail fences and framed by oak and redwood groves. Only now it is home to some of Sonoma County's finest vineyards

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