150 years, 6 generations and 650 protected acres: The story of a Colorado ranch

A Colorado ranch homesteaded before statehood stayed with the same family for six generations; more than 150 years later, 650 of its roughly 700 acres were permanently protected from subdivision/Image: The Trust for Public Land The 700-acre Hutchinson Ranch along US Highway 50 between Salida and Poncha Springs, recognised as the oldest family-owned ranch in Colorado’s Upper Arkansas Valley, is now largely protected from development.The ranch has been in the Hutchinson family for six generations. In 2013, conservation agreements covering 650 acres were completed, blocking subdivision while keeping ownership and ranching with the family, according to The Trust for Public Land.The ranch dates back to 1868Joseph Sykes Hutchinson and his wife, Annabel McPherson Hutchinson, first homesteaded part of the property in 1868.At the time, Colorado was still a US territory. The territory became a state eight years later, in 1876.Joseph had arrived in Colorado in 1866 after being wounded during the Battle of Vicksburg in the Civil War. The family soon built a large cattle operation. By the 1870s, the Hutchinsons had more than 5,000 cattle spread across parts of Colorado.Its historic value was re...