 |
IT
wasn't much of a road and even less of a stagecoach.
Cowboys socializing at the Walden Post Office, circa
1885.
Courtesy, The Colorado Historical Society |
It was a just a rough cart; a three seater with a canvas top — drawn by
a pair of horses. It took two and a half days to get from Laramie to the
ranch. But all discomforts were forgotten as the road turned into the ranch.
The stagecoach rose up into the aspen and pines, and at the crest of the
ridge, the view burst into such a sweeping panorama, even the hardened
driver must have taken pause. This was Michael Connor's ranch — The Connor
Creek Ranch in North Park, Colorado.
...In the 1800's the only road to Connor Creek Ranch
was through Laramie. Now it is accessible from Denver in less than 3 hours,
and from Fort Collins in less than 2 hours. Look for the ranch entrance
a few miles west of Gould. |
The Utes had called North Park "Bull Pen" for the vast herd of Bison that
were fully surrounded by mountains. Then the white man came in the 1820's
— mostly trappers, in search of the plentiful beaver. Kit Carson even wandered
through on several expeditions he was guiding. The miners came and departed
quickly as the gold and silver played out, leaving only their ghost towns
behind. The cattlemen came in 1879, spurred by a drought in Larimer County
and discovered the lush river valleys and grass. They built large herds,
irrigated their hay fields, and North Park settled into the peaceful ranching
country that it remains today. |
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