At the turn of the century the Wilder stamp connoted the best butter you could buy and the prosperous and innovative Wilder Ranch was on the cutting edge of the California dairy industry. An electrician by trade, Melvin Wilder was responsible for many firsts. His was the first dairy farm in the county to have electricity, generated by a Pelton wheel. Ethel Wilder, the first woman truck driver in the county, caused quite a stir when she delivered milk in the 1903 Knox. Today a visit to Wilder Ranch while in Santa Cruz might include an encounter with resident farm animals or a rigorous bike ride on the 34 miles of trails winding through coastal terraces and valleys.