In 1940, actor James Cagney bought hundreds of acres of California grassland; decades later the remaining 417 acres became a protected wildlife corridor

For decades, the grasslands outside Ramona, California, looked much as they had for generations: open country, seasonal pools and wide stretches of native vegetation broken by grazing land. As reported by the local news report, The San Diego Union-Tribune, among the people who once owned part of this landscape was Hollywood actor James Cagney, who acquired hundreds of acres in the area with his brother William during the 1940s. The property did not remain intact forever. Portions were sold over the years, leaving 417 acres under the William J. Cagney Trust.

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