Wild Turkey on the commute home. The History of Ken Caryl Ranch: In 1944 the Ranch was bought by an Italian real estate tycoon, Joseph Minissale, to give his children the experience of living on an American ranch. Legend has it that Minissale tried raising turkeys as well as cattle. Before he sold the Ranch, almost 25 thousand of the turkeys apparently escaped and reverted to the wild. Some descendants of these birds can still be found on the Ranch today.