Supporting History

Preserving Colorado's Agricultural Heritage

Originally published in Colorado History NOW, January 2006

This month’s National Western Stock Show centennial anniversary reminds us that agriculture, perhaps more than any other sector of our economy, has shaped our way of life in Colorado. Yet urban development, increased property taxes, and other challenges threaten to sever the lasso-like connection between Coloradans and their farming and ranching heritage. By supporting ranch preservation projects statewide, the State Historical Fund hopes to not only save a significant part of our shared past, but to show how these places can be adapted to fit the changing cultural and economic landscape.

After climbing and winding its way west over Rabbit Ears Pass, US Highway 40 spills into the Yampa Valley before entering the vacationer’s paradise of Steamboat Springs. On the way, it passes the historic Haymeadow Ranch. As profits from large-scale haying and ranching operations slumped after World War I, smaller ranches, such as the Legacy operation, took their place. But this idyllic spread is not just some quaint throwback to Routt County’s agricultural heritage. It’s an important part of the region’s present vitality.

In 1994, a Colorado State University study identified Routt County’s ranching cultural landscape—its hay meadows, pastures, corrals, and ranch buildings—as the second most important aspect, after the natural environment, of the summer vacation experience. This revelation was not lost on city officials. After acquiring a conservation easement on the land, they made preserving the Haymeadow property a top priority.

Four State Historical Fund grants totaling $200,580 made the multi-year project possible. First, an archaeological assessment helped locate, identify, and protect hard to find or hidden underground features while drainage and foundation issues were addressed. Later, a Historic Structures Assessment directed the restoration, rehabilitation, and stabilization of out buildings as well as the adaptive reuse of the ranch house and bunkhouse as offices for the city’s open space staff. Contributing partners included Historic Routt County!, the Community Agriculture Alliance, and a local nonprofit called Yampatika. Their efforts demonstrated the successful integration of sustainable agricultural operations, low-impact recreation, and historic preservation.

In Boulder County, the Fund supported another project—the Rock Creek Farm restoration—that typifies its commitment to helping those who preserve our agricultural heritage. The farm’s story began in 1863 when James Foote established a stage station for the Overland Stage Route. By 1865 the operation had been turned over to his sister and brother in-law Mary and Lafayette Miller. And though Washington never slept there, local lore has it that U.S. presidential candidate Ulysses S. Grant and his running mate, Schuyler Colfax did. In 1871, Abner Goodhue bought the property and continued to run the station while raising cattle and horses. Successive owners used the land as a dairy farm and a Hereford ranch. In 1980, the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department anticipated development pressures and acquired the Rock Creek Farm as a buffer between Lafayette and Broomfield. It was subsequently leased for agricultural purposes.

The site, which exhibits significant agricultural, archaeological, paleontological, industrial, and environmental sites, was designated as a cultural landscape in 1998. The 1912 Goodhue farmhouse, built in a rural interpretation of the Craftsman bungalow style, is the operation’s heart. After surviving ninety years of farm use and a flood, the structure needed repairs and rehabilitation in order to accommodate its proposed new use as a home for county offices and a meeting and training center for nonprofit groups.

Two SHF grants funded excavation and interpretation at the Rock Creek Archaeological Site, while a more recent grant contributed $53,470 towards the farmhouse’s restoration. Many of the farm’s facilities are now available to the public for meetings and special events.

The State Historical Fund and its partners, including the City of Steamboat Springs and Boulder County Parks and Open Space, strive to maintain examples of Colorado’s agricultural heritage by preserving, interpreting, and facilitating farming and ranching endeavors on historic properties. We hope our efforts continue to rope future generations into learning about and appreciating the foundation of our state’s cultural and economic prosperity.

BY LYLE MILLER, SHF Outreach Specialist

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