400-Acre Historic Colorado Ranch: Old Barn, Meadows, Pines

About the Space

Seven-generation working cattle ranch of about 400 acres in the mountains between Durango and Pagosa Springs, Colorado, roughly 30 miles from each, with the nearest small town about 10 miles away. A main highway runs through the property. Most of the ranch, including about 100 acres of open meadow, sits on the south side, giving easy vehicle access despite the remote setting. The entire southern property line, 1.4 miles, borders National Forest, giving productions unbroken wilderness behind a working ranch. North of the highway, the ranch has another 80 acres, 7 of them meadow, bordering roughly 1,000 acres of undeveloped private land that reads as untouched wilderness. The rest of the property is oak brush and mature Ponderosa Pine forest. The meadows are flood irrigated with spring runoff, and several ponds, some spring fed and some seasonal, dot the property. The terrain also includes ditches, mountain views, big sky, small cactus near the sawmill, and miles of privacy through the back pasture. Barbed wire fences, a drill stem corral, a horse loading chute from the era before trailers, and a branding chute complete the working ranch look. Structures include a farmhouse, detached garage, metal hay shed, and a weathered original barn, all built with timber milled on the land and hauled by teams of horses. The barn keeps its original interior: a tack room, milking area, calving area, mangers, ladders, oat boxes, and the track once used to haul loose hay by buck wagon. It and the outbuildings hold decades of original ranch items, including horseshoes and shoeing tools, branding irons, saddles, packing tack, blankets, and antique tools whose use has been lost to time. The original sawmill still stands on the property, untouched for about 100 years, with old elements and logs scattered on site for an aged, authentic look. The ranch also has original horse-drawn haying equipment and a logging wagon. Three original homestead documents from 1891, 1902, and 1903 carry the signatures of Theodore Roosevelt and Benjamin Harrison. Cattle graze the meadows from about May through November, and horses are sometimes present, so expect livestock near frame in those months unless arranged otherwise. Elk, deer, bears, coyotes, eagles, hawks, owls, and geese are regular wildlife. Open hay meadows, pine forest, ponds, working corrals, a fully original barn interior, a century-old sawmill, and antique equipment, bordered by National Forest and undeveloped land, give scouts a wide variety of authentic looks with easy access and true seclusion. Equipment vehicles can park near the barn and hay shed. The family is on site and hands on. Ideal for period pieces, westerns, commercials, nature productions, weddings, and retreats. Every production and event must provide a certificate of insurance naming the ranch as additional insured before a date is confirmed.