Brown’s Sheep Camp

Listed: 2010

Constructed: 1882

Threat: Demolition by neglect

Closest Town to Resource: Trinidad

Significance: Located in the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site, the land that comprised Brown’s Sheep Camp was first purchased by Samuel Taylor Brown in 1882. Brown’s business partner and eventual son-in-law was Julius Gunter, best known as Colorado’s 21st Governor. Governor Gunter inherited Brown’s Sheep Camp in 1917 and was active in the operation and management of the ranch until his death in 1940. By then, he and his wife Elizabeth had accumulated over 26,000 acres. Structures at the ranch headquarters include several homes, a bunkhouse, a garage, working corrals, a large two-story adobe barn that is widely considered to be one of the finest of its type in the region, and a wood-framed barn with an interior covered in drawings, brands and names added over decades. This collection of rare and significant folk art is an important documentation of the story of Brown’s Sheep Camp and the ranching community in the Purgatoire River Region of Southeast Colorado.

In the early 1980s, The Department of Defense (DOD) started acquiring land in Southeast Colorado to develop a live fire maneuver site for training. The owners of Brown’s Sheep Camp refused to sell, and the land was eventually condemned. Dense vegetation has been allowed to grow around the buildings, increasing the fire risk in an area that suffered from a devastating wildfire in 2008. The DOD has done minor stabilization of the site in recent years of Rocky Ford, G.W. Swink. Several famous jockeys trained and rode at the fairgrounds using the stables. Today the grounds host Colorado’s oldest continuous fair. The fair’s adobe stables are a rare intact example of exposed adobe brick. Twenty-seven of the stables have been restored, and the goal is to have all stables operational for use during fairs and special events within the next few years CPI held an adobe-making Weekend Workshop at the site to rebuild stable walls.

Site Needs: Maintenance, continued Section 106 participation.

Update: CPI the site.

Site Needs: The site is progressing toward a save.

Update: Rocky Ford is committed to restoring the adobe stables within the next few years. Many of the stalls have been repaired. A successful “Kentucky Derby” themed fundraiser was held in 2017.

Significance: The Santa Fe Trail served as the region’s first commercial highway, fueling trade and military activity during the Mexican-American War. The Purgatoire River region and surrounding area are particularly rich in paleontological, pre-historic, and historic resources, including the longest dinosaur trackway in North America, extensive rock art, rock shelter, and tipi rings, and hundreds of early homesteads and support structures, including many which third and fourth generation ranch families, still use.

The potential expansion of the U.S. Army’s Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site led to this EPP listing. On June 14, 2007, the National Trust for Historic Preservation listed the region as one of America’s Eleven Most Endangered Historic Places. Colorado Preservation, Inc. received a grant to undertake a historic resources survey of the area. The project's first phase began in 2008 when over four hundred sites were found that possessed significance for prehistoric archaeology, historical archaeology, and architecture Most sites were related to a homesteading boom during the early 20th century. A second phase was begun to complete and submit a National Register Nomination, which was met with concern from the community. Several Santa Fe Trail segments were listed in the National Register in 2015. Designated trail segments along the Santa Fe Trail Mountain Route in Las Animas County include the Delhi Vicinity I, II, and III. Designated trail segments along the Santa Fe Trail Mountain Route in Otero County are within the Bloom and Timpas vicinity.

Site Needs: Section 106 monitoring

Update: CPI is working with the Santa Fe Trail partners to discuss a celebration of the Trail in five years.

Listed: 2000

Constructed: Various

Threat: Various

Closest Town to Resource: Trinidad

Significance: On the National Register of Historic Places and an official Save America’s Treasures project, the El Corazon de Trinidad District in central Trinidad has served as the retail, financial, and cultural hub of southern Colorado since the arrival of the railroad and development of nearby coalfields in the 1870s. It is considered one of the most intact 19th-century towns in Colorado. Funding from the State Historical Fund was secured to help develop a preservation ordinance and complete a comprehensive building survey. The City of Trinidad has been encouraged by an upturn in business and renewed interest in utilizing existing structures, including the Trinidad Opera House, the McCormick Building, and the Toltec Hotel. In 2003, Colorado Preservation, Inc. applied for (and received) a State Historical Fund grant to begin critical stabilization work on Temple Aaron, located within the district. With the initial phase complete, Phase II stabilization was funded in 2005 by private donations and the State Historical Fund. Portions of the downtown area have received Colorado Creative District designation in recognition of the arts and cultural amenities and attractions available.

Site Needs: Reestablish site relationship, Tax credit project funding.

Update: This area has been identified as a potential zone for historic tax credits and is a designated Colorado Creative District.