74 E, Red Feather Lakes Road - The Forks to McNey Hill

The tour to Red Feather Lakes is in two parts because of the number of photographs and the resulting download time.  Part one goes to McNey Hill, and part two goes the rest of way to Red Feather Lakes.

The table below identifies what you will see, and in some cases what is not visible from the road. The first column is the distance from 287 (the Forks), the second column refers to the side of the road, and the final column is a label and description of the ranch, structure, or other item, and some history.

Hand drawn map by Judd.

Map Orientation

The Lone Pine flows from the mountains in the west into the North Poudre, a little over a mile from Livermore Village. CR 74E, Red Feather Lakes Road, travels west along the Lone Pine on relatively level land, initially. The Lone Pine is visible on the north (right) side of the road tucked up against the ridge which divides the Livermore Park into south and north sections. About 6 miles out, the road begins climbing and the Lone Pine is no longer visible as it disappears into rugged territory. The first hill is Kahler Hill and the second steeper one is McNey Hill. Note that 74E is trending southwest until the top of McNey Hill, when it begins trending northwest all the way to Red Feather Lakes. Note also that the speed limit switches from 55 to 45 at McNey Hill the rest of the way. As 74E approaches Red Feather Lakes the South Lone Pine emerges on the right (north) side of the road.

Livermore Village

The Livermore Village is at the juncture of 287 (Laramie Highway) and 74E (Red Feather Lakes Road), and consists of a number of structures including the Forks Restaurant, the Post Office, fire station, Livermore Community Church, Livermore School, Department of Transportation land for snow plow trucks and sand, a few houses including Lee Nauta, and some commercial enterprises.  The road to the McMurry Ranch departs from here.

The Forks

The Forks is the first structure you see when you turn left off U.S. 287 on to C.R. 74E.  

It is a rebuilt structure because the original was destroyed by fire in 1985 after 110 years of service to the community. The original was built in 1874-75 by Robert O. (R. O.) Roberts who sold it in 1882 after 7 years to George Mason and moved up the North Poudre several miles to establish a cattle ranch which is still in operation by his descendents. 

It would not have been called the Forks when it was first built because it was not on a fork in the road as it is today. When R.O. built his hotel it was alongside one "road" - the Overland Trail; a trail that took travelers from LaPorte via Virginia Dale into Wyoming with connections to the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Mormon Trail.  Don Weixelman in his notes reminds us that early transportation routes were quite primitive: more a trail than a road until the 1940s. The location of the Roberts' Hotel did not become a fork in the road until 15 years later, 1890, when the Livermore Road, which went past Fisk's Livermore House (Hotel) was relocated 1/2 mile north to its present location. 

Wesley Swan called the Roberts' Hotel the Livermore Hotel and he is the only source with an explanation (sort of) for relocating the road (p. 67): In the fall of 1886, W. D. Keys rented the Livermore Hotel and store and he remained there until 1890, when Wm. Breslford got the county commissioners to change the Livermore road and he built what was then called New Livermore (located several miles west where the road crosses the North Fork of the Poudre).  Changing the location of the road turned out to be economically good for Breslford but probably not so for Fisk because the road traffic no longer went right by his hotel. Interesting! 

The hotel probably acquired the name “forks” as an informal designation some time after 1890, as in “I’ll meet you at the forks.”  There is no documentation or other information regarding when the hotel acquired the name "Forks".   

The Roberts family story is recorded in Among These Hills (p. 226 - 235) by Catherine Roberts, wife of the late Evan Roberts.  The Roberts family were refugees of the 1871 Chicago fire, although their house did not burn, but it was a sufficiently frightening experience to motivate them to leave a few years later. They came to Livermore via Greeley (as was true for many immigrants to the area) in 1874 to manage the Fisk ranch and hotel. The Fisk Livermore House was a log structure built in 1871 on land homesteaded by Adolphus Livernash, and Steven S. Moore located on the North Poudre a few miles to the west and a ¼ mile south of where 74E crosses the river. 

While managing the Fisk Hotel, Roberts decided to build his own hotel. Catherine explains why R.O. (that's how he preferred to be called) made this decision. Loggers floated their products down the Poudre River, but must themselves travel through Livermore because of the narrows on the main Poudre. Needing a place to rest on this detour, they offered lumber to R.O. Roberts if he would build a facility to accommodate them. This he did, opening the Forks Hotel in March of 1875. His 160 acres of "Squatter's Right" was located in the the Territory of Colorado and provided an impetus for the building of a cattle herd. The family had accumulated forty head of cattle when the drought of 1879-1880 forced all the local ranchers to sell their animals or find pasture elsewhere. The Roberts retained seven cows.

(The narrows Catherine refers to in the Poudre Canyon was an area in its lower reaches where it was impassible, thus all traffic to the upper Poudre Canyon, to Chambers Lake and beyond to North Park and Walden and points west came through Livermore. Building a road through the Poudre Canyon required drilling and blasting a tunnel which was done in 1916, but construction of the present road was not completed until 1920).

Here's a puzzlement: What was wrong with the Fisk Hotel?  Why did the loggers need a second, or different hotel? Further, why did R.O. pick a location 1/2 mile north of the first Livermore Road? What reasons did Breslford give the County Commissioners to move the road? Also, 1874 was well past the logging boom to produce railroad ties -- the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. This logging may have been for railroads in Colorado, and/or for homes.

Building a hotel along the Overland Trail made sense, of course, because R.O. could provide service not only to the loggers but also to travelers on the Overland/Cherokee Trail. This route, the general area of U.S. 287, had been a wagon trail used by used by explorers and trappers since at least the 1820s (Wikipedia, Overland Trail), and before that by the Native Americans as a single track trail. Traffic along this route clearly picked up in 1862 with the establishment of the Overland Trail cutoff from the Oregon Trail, established to avoid the Sioux Indians in southeast Wyoming who were attacking wagon trains and the Overland Stage Line which carried mail and passengers. Division Agent Jack Slade established a Home Station for the Overland Stage at Virginia Dale in 1862. Settlers soon began to put down roots in the Virginia Dale area. In 1868 William Williams established the XX Ranch on the Wyoming border.  Four more families established themselves between 1872-1873 in the area: Andrew Boyd, Joseph George, Peter Gealow, and Thomas Bishop. Two families settled along Stonewall Creek, a few miles north of Roberts: James Barlow, a wheelwright and blacksmith (1871), and Acquilla Morgan, who planted cottonwoods and fruit trees (1874). 

For more about the Overland Trail see Transition Time and Virginia Dale.

The Forks has had many different owners over the years. Some of the more significant owners  ware Stewart C. and Lillian B. Case (1926-1945, 19 years, perhaps the longest tenure) who sold in 1945 to Paul and Dorothy Nauta and later Ed and Sarah Nauta. The Nauta family still lives in the area. The Forks has not operated as a hotel in many years. It's function has been as a restaurant, convenience store, and gasoline station In recent years the Forks has struggled to stay open, and has changed hands many times. It was recently owned by Kathy Moore and operated as a restaurant and convenience store until the summer of 2008 when it ceased operation.  It was sold April 2009.  Wayne and Phyllis Schrader (owners of gas stations and propane service) bought the Forks at auction in August 2011 for $160,000 and in November 2011 (at this writing) sold it to Scott Jennings who hopes to reopen as convenience store and gas service in February 2012.

The Roberts' story will continue a few miles up the road at the location of their ranch. 

Livermore Post Office

The Livermore Post Office was moved from the C. J. Bollin Ranch in August 1945, Dorothy Nauta was the “postmistress” until 1947 when Sarah Nauta took over and held until the present (2003, Ranch Histories, p.15)

Livermore Elementary School  

This view of the elementary school is looking back to the east. In the background can be seen some of the beautiful rock formations, highly striated and red. In the foreground can be seen large round bales of hay.

Livermore Volunteer Fire Department

This is one of two buildings for the Livermore Fire Department.  The second, and larger one is on Cherokee Park Road.

Eagle's Nest

Barely out of the village, on the left, is the entrance to Eagle's Nest, part of the Larimer Parks and Open Space.  The drive is a couple of miles to an excellent parking lot. The 755 acres include 4.8 miles of trails for hiking and horseback riding (but mountain bikes are not allowed). Trails are designated moderate and provide great views of the valley. About half-way along the trail, high up the cliff an eagle's nest is visible.  Eagles have nested here for over a hundred years according to Rick Night, CSU professor. A mile of the North Fork River runs through the open space and adds greatly to the charm of the area, and provides water for horses. Natural resources include golden eagles, deer, elk, coyote, mountain lion, brown and rainbow trout.  For more information, go to http://www.larimer.org/parks/openlands.  

Eagle Cliff Ranch

In the Eagle's Nest area, on the North Poudre south of 74E, is the Chaffee/Peters Eagle Cliff Ranch, which was homesteaded by Catherine Chaffee in 1887. She sold her relinquishment to Frank Atkins in 1888. Subsequently it was homesteaded or owned by Charles E. Peters, John L. Nightingale and George Nightingale. It is the site of the First Livermore Woman's Club at the base of the Eagle's Nest rock in 1896.

Korth Residence

David and Kathy Korth built the home in the late 1970’s is based on the upon a famous structure in Fort Collins, the old Avery House. 

Sandstone Rock Formations

These formations are slightly out of town, past the Korth House, just before Roberts Ranch. 

Roberts Ranch

This view north, from the rocks on the east of the Roberts Ranch, shows the beautiful red sandstone rocks and the extent of the broad Livermore Valley park.  The North Poudre winds its way through the ranch, lined by old Cottonwood trees.  Barely visible is the home of David Lee (“Derek”) Roberts, a real estate broker and grandson of founder R. O. Roberts. These cliffs are the location of a famous “buffalo jump” – there are actually several places where Native Americans would stampede the bison (the proper name for buffalo) off the cliffs as a way of killing them.  

According to Wesley Swan (p. 16) ... a daughter was born March 14th, 1879, and they bought a relinquishment from William Breslford on 160 acres on the North Poudre River ...  1879 --1880 was a severe drought, according Catherine Roberts, which forced a lot of ranches to sell off cattle, and in the case of Breslford, sell his land claim. He had previously built a log cabin or  “claim shanty” at the location which came to be known as the Adams place, on Antelope Springs (later on this trip) some time before 1877, the date when Adams took up the land.  Brelsford had abandoned that land when he discovered it was a school section. Breslford was having a tough time. In 1890, he built the Livermore Hotel and Post Office (later on this trip), so finally it appears his luck had changed for the better.

The Roberts Ranch was established in 1882  when R. O. Roberts sells the Forks and moves his family to the relinquishment area purchased from Brelsford where they had recently completed construction of a home. It has been owned and managed by the family since then.   

The Ranch earned an Environmental Stewardship Award in 2006 for granting conservation easements on its entire 16,500 acres.  A conservation easement means the land can not be sold for development purposes, it will continue to be a working ranch, and thus “a permanent legacy that benefits all the citizens of Larimer County”.  The ranch also has a Centennial Ranch designation because it has been ranched for over 100 years by the same family. (Information from a December 11, 2006, News Release by the Larimer County Board of Commissioners.  The land is in three parcels: (1) Ranch headquarters along the North Poudre between 74E and 80C, (2) north of Halligan Reservoir where Dale, Bull and Mill creeks come together before entering the reservoir (sections 17, 19, 20 & 21 R71W, T11N), and (3) a small parcel east of 287 near Red Mountain Open Space (Larimer County Parks and Open Lands, Annual Report 2005, map page 13).

 Livermore Park Looking West

The Livermore Park area is cattle country with half a dozen active ranches which have been in continuous operation since they were homesteaded in the mid early 1870s.  The Lone Pine flows from the mountains in the west near the Baldies of the Larimer Mountains, into the North Poudre. On the other side of  the low hills to the right flows Sheep Creek, with several tributaries. A few families engaged in sheep ranching, most notably the McMurry family, along the North Fork south of Livermore, and the Brackenbury family, the west end of the Sheep Creek drainage, along 80C, close to Prairie Divide Road. Richard Knight in Among These Hills, "Dadd Gulch Stock Driveway" p. 122 - 128) describes the driving of Brackenbury sheep from their winter location on the ~14,000 acre ranch to summer grazing on U.S. Forest Service land in the Mummy Range.  The drive went right through Red Feather Lakes Village, down Pingree Hill into the Poudre Canyon, then up to the Mummies. In his story Rick and wife Heather and friends recreated the multi-day trip - enjoyable reading. Sheep ranching is all but ended. We have seen some activity in the Cherokee Park area (loading sheep into trucks to go to market) and occasionally you can see sheep along 74E just before you come to Glacier View Meadows on the right side of the road.

Livermore Community Hall

Mile 3 where Red Feather Lakes Road crosses the North Poudre River.

The present Livermore Community Hall is located on the east bank of the North Poudre, which is evidenced by the Cottonwood trees running across the picture behind the Hall. The 30’ X 40’ structure is located on 6+ acres of land donated by the Roberts Ranch.  It was built in 1948 to replace the previous community hall which had been located adjacent to the Livermore Hotel (on the other, west, side of the river and shown in the next photo).  It cost approximately $10,000 in materials to construct with labor donated by the community. 

The old structure, lying on much lower land, was destroyed by a flood in 1904. It was soon rebuilt by owner Charles Ramer.  In 1945 it was dissembled and the material used by Gammons to convert the hotel into residence. The Hall is used for many community functions including dances, meetings,

The Livermore Hotel & Post Office 

Mile 3, on west side of North Poudre River.

The Livermore Hotel and Post Office were built by William Brelsford in 1890 (15 years after the Forks) and for years was considered the social center of Livermore. 

In 1891 James Swan & son Herbert purchased the property along with barn (which was on the south side of the road, no longer present) and added a blacksmith shop. In 1901 it was purchased by Charles & Rachel Ramer and about 1909 it was traded to Malcolm Bellairs for his Ranch in Red Feather Lakes who traded back 1917.  (This mobility of property was fairly common for the region.) The Hotel, which included a general store, was a regular stop for Casper Zimmerman's stage on route to his own hotel, the Keystone (a destination resort), in the Poudre Canyon; it was he who built the barn for his horses.  

In 1952 John Elliot and Josephine (“Jo”) Lamb together bought the Livermore Hotel & 120 acres.  Upon his death in 1961, Jo became manager of 12,000 acre Elliot Ranch, per his will, and eventually bought what had not been willed to her.  She managed the ranch and lived in the Livermore Hotel for twenty years 1953 -1973 until her death.  Absent a will, with several heirs, the entire ranch was sold. 

The property was vacant for a period of time until Frieda & James Miller purchased it in 1979 and began restoring the vandalized house. 

A nice of Josephine Lamb, Kay, and her husband Dr. Thomas Quan purchased it in 1988, and began restoring the post office with help from the community. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.  In 2008 the Quans moved to Fort Collins and sold to Bernadette Lamb and husband Bill Greensward and their five young children.  The historic structures have thus been in the Lamb family for over fifty years.

Rabbit Creek County, Three Ranching Lives in the Heart of the Mountain West  is a book by Jon Thiem with Deborah Dimon about the Lives of John Elliott, Ida Meyer, and Josephine Lamb. For more information about Jo Lamb, see Rabbit Creek Country.

Fisk's Livermore House

Left or south side of road, just west of the North Poudre.

This is the land occupied by Adolphus Livernash (1847 - 1883, 36) and Steven S. Moore in 1863 while they were working as prospectors on land recently owned by Andrew Brooker. They built a small cabin on the River which is in the background behind the buildings. Livernash only stayed a few months before moving first to Laporte where he married Sarah E. Isard in 1874. Subsequently he moved to Boulder (Caribou Mine) where he worked as an assayer determining the quality of ore obtained, until he was killed by lightning in 1883. 

In 1871 Russell Fisk acquired the claims of Livernash and Moore and others and built the the 1st hotel in the area which he called Livermore House (also called the Livermore Hotel). It served as a hotel for local travelers until the county moved the road crossing upriver ¼ mile north, to its present location, thus possibly putting the hotel out of business. This is the story provided by Ansel Watrous in History of Larimer County, 1911, and repeated by others. 

However Mrs. Arthur (Mary) Aldrich reports a slightly different story in a 1910 paper presented to the Livermore Woman's Club reproduced in Swan (p. 59-60): Mr. Smith states that in 1864 a man by the name of Livernash was living in a small shanty close by the river ... On the following page she says: In the fall of 1869 Stephen Moore located at Livermore.  

Ansel also states: Shortly after that (selling his claim) Moore disappeared and his present whereabouts, if he is living, are unknown.

However, thanks to the sleuthing of Craig Livernash of Wisconsin Rapids we do know what happened to Moore, he followed Livernash to Boulder where they became partners, along with a Mr. Sweeder, in a lode named Silver Point on Idaho Hill, reported in Out West Newspaper, April 20, 1872. They were extracting copper and silver, which were reported to be quite rich: We have miners here from nearly every silver mining district in the world, and without any exception, they all pronounce this the richest silver district they ever saw.

Craig, while doing research on his family history, located the Livermore Woman's Club via the Internet and made contact with Linda Adams. The upshot is Craig brought his family in June 17, 2010 for a visit to Livermore, which happened to coincide with a dinner for the Friends of the Library at Western Ridge. Craig's family made a plaque honoring his ancestor which he presented to the Livermore Woman's Club, shown in the photo below. Adolphus' widow Sarah took her three children to live in Kansas for a couple of years, but returned to Fort Collins where she ran a boarding house for a while, living until 1916. 

The children settled along the Front Range. Ada, the youngest (1879) married  her brother's business partner, Walter Pat Hurley, in 1904, in Denver, then moved to Fort Collins. They did not have children. The second daughter Margaret Daisy (1877 - 1949, 72) married a dentist, Ivan Mark Renfrow in 1919, in Denver. Before marriage she had  worked as a stenographer at the Agricultural College (CSU) where she was head of the stenographic bureau, and later she did stenography in Idaho, California. They also did not have any children. The first born was Edward Francis (1874 - ) who was a pharmacist in Denver and Boulder before establishing a pharmacy with his brother-in-law, in Fort Collins, named The Owl Drug Store. He married Verna Taylor in 1900 in Cheyenne, but it ended in Divorce a few years later. A second marriage in 1909 to Jeannette L. Gillis produced Adolphus only grandchild, Edward Robert Livernash (1910 - 1987, 77). He grew up in Fort Collins, attending Fort Collins High School, being a member of the track team which won three national championships. He graduated from the University of Colorado, Summa Cum Laude, in 1933, earned his Ph.D. from Harvard, and became an authority on collective bargaining and labor relations. His marriage to Virginia Hall, whom he had met when a student at Tufts, produced two sons, Steven E. (b. 1941) and Robert T.  (b. 1944), both went to college (Swarthmore, University of Chicago, New York University; Johns Hopkins and Columbia) and had distinguished professional careers. Neither had children. 

The hotel was converted to a residence and the property was purchased by Josephine Lamb and John Elliot in 1952.  Current owner is Linda (Mrs. Francis) Lamb, who lives in Fort Collins. Her daughter Bernadette and husband Bill Greensward lived in the house until 2008 when they purchased the Livermore Hotel from the Quans .  Francis Lamb is buried on the property.

Eagles Nest Open Space

Mile 4, approximately, looking southeast back towards the open space area.

Johnson Ranch

Mile 3, right, not visible from the road.

The Ranch lies along the Lone Pine Creek behind low hills beside the road, and includes land on left (south) of 74E on backside of McNey Hill where the stage road used to go before routed up the steep cut of McNey Hill.  Previous owners were Horsley (possibly the homesteader), Williams, Becksted and Goodwin.  The  original house was a boxed two-story built in1889 with several remodels over the years.  In 1951 A. J. Becksted sold to Jack & Bettie Goodwin who had dairy cattle and supplied milk to Ingleside daily. In 1965 George Coon purchased ranch. 

In 1967 Dr. Alvin Johnson (dentist) and Dr. Albert Wolfson (surgeon) formed a partnership and purchased Godwin ranch plus parcel south side of McNey Hill.  Both continue their practices in Denver.  In 1968 they purchased the old McNey Ranch at bottom of Kahler hill from Sonny Mapelli, including a 1896 house built for Harry Gilpin-Brown.  They referred to as the West Ranch (now Ptasnik, Scottdale).  In 1969 they purchased 2,000 acre Haystack Angus Ranch in Platteville and name operation Scottdale Ranches. More partners added, and bought out over next 10 years.  Cows are trailed up 74E, which was still a dirt road to graze on Roosevelt National Forest land during summer months. Note: as of 2006 this practice continues.  In 1978 a fire destroys barn.  In 1986 they dissolve the partnership, Al sells dental practice and moves to ranch to live full time and more actively manage operations, initially living at the West Ranch.  In 1987 he remodels house on East Ranch, adds 2,000 to east side of home and moves there, now known as the Johnson Ranch, Wolfson retains ownership of West Ranch until killed in riding accident in 1988. He  marries Virginia Moffitt in 1989. Al and Virginia and daughter Raechel Ann are current owners and continue to raise cattle, Gelbvieh bulls on Angus and Hereford / Simmental cows.

Weymouth Lane, CR 37

Mile 4, on the right (north)

This dirt road, next to the Poudre Valley REA substation, travels due north a few miles to connect to Cherokee Park Road (CR 80C).  About midway north, CR 76H, School House Road goes right, east to 287.  Mysteriously, CR 37 picks up again more than 10 miles north on Highway 287 as Red Mountain Road.  Weymouth has also been known as Mitchell Lane, after John Mitchell who homesteaded here and built ditches here and in Red Feather Lakes.  He built a ditch in the Livermore Park Area area in 1873, and called Weymouth-Mitchell.  The first ditch constructed in the area was actually the Burnham-Emerson, 1871.

In 1888 Mitchell moved up to Red Feather Lakes and built a ditch which brought water from the upper Lone Pine to Lake Hiawatha, thereby establishing the water claim for the entire Red Feather Lakes system, (RFL 100, p. 8). They became known for a time as the Mitchell Lakes

Visible immediately to the north is a three-story white house built in 1893 by English remittance man Charles Gilpin-Brown, also once known as the Fanning Place , and is now the home of Chris Hansen and his family.  

Chris Hansen (Charles Gilpin-Brown) Ranch

Hansen (Emerson, Sackett) Ranch

Mile 5 on right side of road, along Lone Pine Creek

Ed & Marilyn Hansen and their sons and daughters-in law live on the ranch which occupies a substantial amount of land in Livermore Park on the right side of the road along Lone Pine Creek (marked by the cottonwood trees in foreground). 

The land was homesteaded by Horace & Charles Emerson who both built distinctive two-story homes.  They were English remittance men with substantial money (see book summary).  Charles house was closer to Livermore, not visible from the road.  Horace built the house further west which is now owned by Ptasnik.  The Emersons built several ditches: Burnham-Emerson (1871), Weymouth-Mitchell (1894), Emerson (1882).  Horace’s daughter Dorothy married Thorwald Sackett who subsequently lived in the father’s house which burned in 1933 and was soon rebuilt. 

In 1940 Sam Hansen & son Castor (Ed’s father) purchased the ranch. In 1949 they acquired Civil Conservation Core barracks located in Red Feather Lakes and moved them to the ranch to serve as calving sheds. They are the one-story brown buildings on the right side of the driveway. Ed and Marilyn moved from their home in Denver to the ranch in1966 and begin acquiring additional ranch property including Gilpin-Brown/Fanning, Griffith, and Elliot (part). In 1973 the Hansens incorporated as Circle Ranches.

Hansen Cattle Spring 2009

Ptasnik or Scottdale Ranch 

Mile 6 on Lone Pine Creek

The Ranch is owned by Dr. and Mrs. Michael Ptasnik and managed by Ryan Kelley.  Mrs. Ptasnik is the daughter of Dr. Wolfson who was the partner to Al Johnson (see Johnson Ranch).  During the Wolfson-Johnson partnership, this portion of the ranch was known first as the West Ranch, then later as the Scottdale, named after a son of Dr. Wolfson.

Harry Gilpin-Brown homesteaded the land in 1883, purchasing it for $10,000.  He was an English remittance man (thus he had money) and was a nephew to the first Territorial Governor, William Gilpin.  He came to Livermore explicitly because of glowing letters from his cousin.  In 1893 he married Sylvia Swan, daughter of Livermore Hotel proprietor, James H. Swan and then in 1896 he built the two-story house, white, red roof, and distinctive steeple, which still stands and operates as ranch headquarters.

Old Stage Road to Antelope Springs and Adams Place

In the early days the Zimmerman Stage Line branched off to the left above Kahler Hill (just before what is now, on the right side of the road, a parking lot for the Lone Pine State Wildlife Area) to avoid the steep climb up McNey Hill. The stage road is still visible on the ground. The land on the south (left) of 74E is owned Al Johnson and every year he runs his cattle up this property to the National Forest land along Boy Scout Road.  This early branch of the road went by Adams Place at Antelope Springs. On the map the dark line is 74E and the red lines are dirt roads and trails.  You can see a red line dropping south going through section 16, which is blue indicating it is a school section.  Notice also more blue to the right, more school sections.  The Lone Pine State Wildlife Area (SWA) will be discussed right after Adams Place.

Adams Place from a distance

The group of trees in the center of picture just below the hill indicates the location of Antelope Springs, where Adams homesteaded in 1877. He had sheep, ran a dairy, and built a “hotel.”  Note the climb is fairly gradual, especially compared to McNey Hill.

Adams Place Close Up 

If you look closely you can see a rock wall snaking up the hill from the trees diagonally to the upper left to keep in Adams’ sheep.  After Adams established his homestead he discovered the land was on a School Section, and also he didn’t like the land.  Once he “proved up” the land in 1882, he sold to J. J. Bush.  While Bush was the owner, he established a post office at his place and a school house. 

Adams School District #28 was established here in 1895.  John McNey was a primary organizer.  Twenty-three children from seven families were in attendance the first year: Ismert (5), Riddles (5), Tibbits (3), McNey (3), Sheets (3), Kahler (2), Bush (2).  (Ismert homesteaded on the Lone Pine, built up a ranch which John Elliot latter acquired.) 

Their school building was a log cabin “claim shanty” built by William Breslford (who built the Forks).  He abandoned it and left it here when he discovered the land was a School Section. So he preceded Adams. Subsequently a new frame structure was built and located ½ mile west of McNey Hill.  In 1912 it was moved 3 miles down the road (east, below the hill) to between McNey and Tibbits ranches.  It was the custom to move schools to the geographic center of the school population to reduce travel time for the kids.  In 1917 it moved to a draw west of its first location.  Its final destination was Virginia Dale, to serve as school house or home for the teacher, after Poudre R-1 was organized, eliminating District # 28.  One winter school was held at Batterson Ranch.  Wesley Swan was secretary for 30 years. This information is from Memoirs of an Old Timer, by Wesley Swan.

Lone Pine Wildlife Area

At mile 9, on the right side of the road, is a parking lot that provides access to the 6,654 acres of the Lone Pine Unit of the Cherokee State Wildlife Area. 

In 2000, the Division of Wildlife acquired the 6,120-acre Circle Ranch, part of the Hansen Ranch, which had been part of John Elliott's Ranch (see below). The DOW renamed it the Rabbit Creek Unit of the Cherokee Park State Wildlife Area (SWA). The acquisition connects the Lone Pine and Lower Unit and enables protection of a total of 20,000 contiguous acres of prime wildlife habitat. The property provides winter range for big game, habitat for the threatened Preble's meadow jumping mouse and hunting, fishing and wildlife watching opportunities. (Information about the Rabbit Creek acquisition comes from the State website: http://wildlife.state.co.us/About/Reports/2000WildlifeHabitatandSpeciesConservation.htm

The State Wildlife Areas are open to the public for hunting from September 1 to May 1 and the rest of the time for fishing, hiking and horseback riding.

This picture from the Division of Wildlife's website  http://wildlife.state.co.us/LandWater/StateWildlifeAreas/.  

The view is northwest up the Lone Pine Creek, several miles from the parking lot.  It is a lovely area, little used (excellent for hiking and horse riding), and has beautiful flowers in the spring. 

This area was once part of the 12,000 acre John Elliott Ranch.  It was later owned by Josephine Lamb who died unexpectedly without a will, and with a number of heirs, the estate had to be sold.  The most recent DOW acquisition was the Rabbit Creek portion (and original piece) of the Elliott Ranch. 

Rabbit Creek County, Three Ranching Lives in the Heart of the Mountain West  is a book by Jon Thiem with Deborah Dimon about the Lives of John Elliott, Ida Meyer, and Josephine Lamb.  For more about their lives, see  Rabbit Creek Country).  

Tibbits Homestead

Mile 9, lower McNey Hill, left side of road is the homestead of William E. & Alomina (Batterson) Tibbits and 9 children. The only remains of this homestead are lilac bushes. Members of the Tibbits family lived along 80C, Cherokee Park Road, where there is a lake named with their name.

McNey Homestead

Mile 10, right side of road

John McNey I owned two different ranches, at Lone Pine Creek, and this location at “Head of Livermore Park.”   By 1896, when John McNey II was living there, the Antelope Springs loop was dropped in favor of a road right up the hill past the McNey place.  The top of the road was still quite steep so it bent south around the top.  (It wasn’t until 1999, 103 years later, that the county lower the top and straighten it into its present course.)  John I died in 1901 and was buried in Adams cemetery.  His wife in 1904 sold to son John McNey II, who had married Nora Mae McCullah. They left the ranch in 1923, after 19 years.  During this time he expanded the ranch by buying the Batterson Ranch to the west and the Gilpin-Brown/Bellairs Ranch to the east at the bottom of Kahler Hill.

To continue the tour to Red Feather Lakes, go to 74 E McNey Hill to Red Feather Lakes.

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