Medano Ranch Headquarters

The Medano Ranch is notable in the area of agriculture for its association with the development of cattle ranching in the San Luis Valley from the open range days of the 1870s through the mechanized operations of the period following World War II. The Medano is one of the oldest continuously operated properties in the area and its buildings and structures reflect the evolution of ranching as a large-scale enterprise during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The history of the ranch incorporates the sweeping historical themes associated with ranching in Colorado, including the driving of Texas cattle to the area in the 1870s, the entrance of eastern investors into the region's cattle ranching, the use of sham homestead claims and intimidation of earlier settlers to acquire immense tracts of land during the nineteenth century, the difficulty of surviving during periods of economic distress, the continued consolidation of lands during the twentieth century, and the application of modern ranching techniques and participation in stockmen's associations during the twentieth century. The ranch traces its beginnings to the range cattle industry of the 1870s when two Ohio brothers, Valentine B. and William W. Dickey, brought large numbers of Texas cattle into the San Luis Valley. The Dickeys marketed their beef in the mining camp of Leadville and began assembling small holdings of other ranchers in the area into a larger property. The Dickey brothers established the headquarters area during this period and the Medano Springs post office was located here. After the Dickeys sold out in 1882, the operation and consolidations continued under Niel G. Adee and William W. Durkee, wealthy easterners who organized the Medano Springs Land and Cattle Company in 1886. Adee and Durkee were described as "cattle kings" who were the major producers in the Valley. Their tenure was impacted by the downturn in cattle prices during the 1880s and the effects of the Silver Panic of 1893. After two short-term owners, the ranch was acquired by George W. Linger in 1912. Under the Linger family, the ranch became a fed-cattle operation, supplementing grazing with the feeding of cottonseed cake and corn. The Lingers ushered the ranch into the modern era, and members of the family were prominent in Colorado cattle organizations. Howard Linger, for example, was a director of the National Western Stock Show for forty-two years, president of the Colorado Cattlemen's Association, and first president of the San Luis Valley Cattlemen's Association. The Lingers operated the ranch until 1947 and were widely respected in the cattle industry. When they sold the property, it was described as a "great" ranch famous for its Herefords and horses and known throughout the West.

The ranch headquarters is also important for its architecture, as representative of the heart of a major San Luis Valley cattle ranch that began as a range cattle operation, grew greatly in physical extent as smaller holdings were consolidated, and evolved into a fed-cattle Hereford business in the early twentieth century. The surrounding landscape of the ranch remains unchanged, providing a sense of the isolation of the site as well as its natural beauty. The buildings are classic examples of the variety of materials and construction techniques found on ranches of great longevity. An important aspect of the buildings is their representation of the common ranch practice of recycling and reusing existing structures and joining smaller buildings together to create larger ones. One of the buildings, the draft horse barn, reflects New Mexican influences in its design. The extensive corral maintains exceptional physical integrity and features all of the components needed by a major cattle operation, including the dipping vat, alley, scales, branding chute, and butchering pen with carcass derrick. While several original buildings are gone, the remaining buildings display a variety of functions and good historic physical integrity. The ranch yard is notable for its unusual "square" layout and remnants of the boardwalk which linked the buildings remain. The post-1947 resources and alterations are generally compatible in terms of scale and materials and are the result of continued ranch operations. The period of significance for the ranch extends from 1877 (the creation of the headquarters site with a post office operated by W.W. Dickey) through 1947 (the end of the Linger era).