Pearl Gesner

Occupation: Farmer
Home: Patch of Heaven
Likes: Farming, her farm and livestock
Dislikes: Losing her farm, being told to sell her livestock
Paraphernalia: Hoe, Pitchfork
Status: Active

Pearl is an elderly farmer who owns a farm called Patch of Heaven. Like any farmer, she tends to her farm and livestock. She is shown to love and care for all the animals that live on her farm, especially Maggie, a show cow that was sold by her previous owner and whom Pearl took in. She is also revealed to keep a few photos she had taken of her farm animals as fond memories, including one of her bottle-feeding Grace when she was a calf.

Later, Sheriff Sam Brown arrives on the farm and shows Pearl another bank notice. He explains that the banks are going to auction off her home if she can't pay the full amount she owes them because they are losing so much money due to cattle rustlers leaving behind so many bankrupt ranchers. He then suggests that Pearl sell off a few of her livestock to pay the debt. This angers Pearl, who explains that she would never sell her farm animals because they're family. She then chases the Sheriff off her property in a fury, sending him running.

Pearl is later seen mourning over her three cows, who had gone AWOL in an attempt to save her farm from foreclosure, and wonders if she will ever see them again. Nevertheless, she is also upset about losing Patch of Heaven to the highest bidder, as she had no choice but to auction off her remaining farm animals after Alameda Slim, disguised as Yancy O'Del, had closed the deal with the Sheriff, although Sam does show Pearl a little sympathy.

In the film's climax, when Pearl sees a train (which her cows hijacked earlier to get home) coming dangerously behind, she rushes forward to grab the chicks that were being auctioned before they get hurt and shoves the Sheriff out of the way of the train just as he notices it. After a brief battle, the cows get the better of Slim when his disguise is removed, revealing his true identity. Pearl becomes shocked and horrified that the auctioneer who is buying her farm is Alameda Slim, and the outlaw is then roped up, gagged, and arrested by Sam. The Sheriff later arrives with the reward money and asks Pearl if she can find any use for it, to which she happily states that her farm is saved and pays the debt she owes the bank. Afterwards, a photographer takes a picture of Pearl and her livestock, with everyone smiling save Jeb.

At the end of the film, Pearl dances with Sam as they and all the farm animals (who are also seen dancing) celebrate Patch of Heaven being saved and re-opened.

Not much is revealed about Pearl's early life. She is shown to have lived on her farm for a very long time and had built a respectable reputation with her neighbors. It is mentioned in the grant deed (which was nearly signed at the time her farm was due to be auctioned off during the film's climax) that she's a widow, meaning at one point in her life, she was married to an unknown husband. In any case, Pearl had run the farm on her own for many years by the time the film takes place. As seen in her own reflections, she has survived many catastrophes, including harsh blizzards and even tornadoes.