Everson Ranch
Preserving the Past
Creating the Future
The Everson Ranch at Orient Land Trust connects the past to the present, symbolizing and illustrating a historic way of life in the San Luis Valley. It has been a working ranch since it was homesteaded in 1872, passed down from generation to generation. The vast ranch extended for miles and included the hot springs and its year-round water supply.
The Everson Ranch was added to the Orient Land Trust in 2004.
After being subdivided into residential lots in 2001, OLT purchased the property to retain the historical lands. The Everson Ranch was OLT’s first capital campaign. The vast 760-acre ranch was valued at $850,000. By 2010, OLT members had raised the necessary donations to secure the land, reservoir, and several additional parcels. These generous contributions saved the unspoiled views, wildlife corridor, dark skies, waters, and wetlands. Since that time, hundreds more acres have been added, and more are planned.
The Ranch is bordered on the north and south by Federal and State lands, parts of which are also stewarded by OLT.