Cherokee Park And The Elliott Ranch House

Taking advantage of an unseasonably warm winter afternoon, my son and I recently visited the Cherokee Park State Wildlife Area (SWA) near Livermore, Colorado, about 20 miles northwest of Fort Collins, in search of the Elliott ranch house.
From 1910 until 1943, John and Ida Elliott and Josephine Lamb, three pioneers with an unconventional living arrangement, owned and raised cattle on the land that now makes up a large portion of the Cherokee Park SWA. "Rabbit Creek Country" by Jon Thiem recounts the story of their lives, and intertwines their biographies with the history of the Livermore area. The home that the Elliotts and Miss Lamb lived in, and which plays an important role in the book, was located on Middle Rabbit Creek, now in the Cherokee Park SWA. Dr. Thiem explained that the house has been abandoned, but could still be found on Middle Rabbit Creek. Intrigued by the story told in "Rabbit Creek Country", I had to go to find it.
The details of the hike are recounted in my Coloradohikingtrails.net hiking trails web site; I won't rehash them here.
I didn't intend for this outing to be a "photography" trip, but rather a trip to find the abandoned ranch house, to explore the area, and to teach my son about the history of the area. The photos I captured, some of which are posted in the gallery below, are more documentary in nature than artistic or "saleable". Nevertheless, if you have an interest in the book "Rabbit Creek Country", or in the history of the Livermore area, I hope that these images will help in clarifying your mental picture of the Elliott home by supplementing Dr. Thiem's own photos and narrative. I also hope that they succeed in conveying the beauty and unique topography of the area, even in the relatively drab and dry middle of winter during which these pictures were taken.



If you have any questions or comments about these images, please don't hesitate to contact me or to leave a comment on this page (no registration required).