Colorado Centennial Farms Celebrates the Strength, Endurance and Perseverance of Farming and Ranching Families

***Press Release***

Ten Colorado farms and ranches will be recognized at the State Fair in Pueblo on Aug. 24

Denver — Ten Colorado families who have owned and operated their farm or ranch for 100 years or more will be recognized during the 26th Annual Centennial Farms Celebration on Friday, August 24 at 4 p.m. The awards ceremony will be held on the Pepsi Stage in Family Park at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo, Colo., where honorees will receive a certificate signed by Governor John Hickenlooper and other state officials, as well as a sign to display on their property.

Ed Nichols, President and CEO of History Colorado and John Salazar, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture, will make acknowledgements and present awards to family representatives.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation recognizes families who have demonstrated stewardship of their historic agricultural sites by maintaining four or more structures on their property that have survived for 50 years with a Historic Structures Award, and 12 of the 18 families will be recognized.

 

2012 Colorado Centennial Farm Awardees:

Farm/Ranch Name                                    Year Settled                       Town, County

Corliss Ranch	1895	Stratton/ Kit Carson
Gayle and Richard Anderson Farm	1911	Sedgwick/ Sedgwick
George Poe Family Farm	1912	Stratton/ Kit Carson
Greenwood Farm	1912	Holyoke/ Phillips
Hogan Ranch	1899	Kit Carson/ Cheyenne
John Allen Ranch LLC	1911	Craig/ Moffat
Magnuson Farm	1910	Eaton/ Weld
Porter Farm	1912	Lindon/ Washington
Ruben Richardson Farm	1911	Yuma/ Yuma
Templeton Ranch on Tabeguache Creek	1910	Nucla/ Montrose

 

The Centennial Farms Program started in 1986. It is sponsored by History Colorado, the Colorado Department of Agriculture, the Colorado State Fair, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The awards honor Colorado’s families who have maintained ownership of their land for more than a century in spite of the economic challenges that face modern farming. At the ceremony, a brief history of each farm is presented, including stories of prosperity and hardship. Family representatives are available for interviews at a reception following the ceremony.

“These long-standing farm and ranch families play an integral role in preserving important aspects of Colorado’s history,” said Nichols. “In spite of the pressures of growth, changes in farming methods, drought, and economic conditions, these families have maintained their way of life while many historic barns and other agricultural sites around the nation are disappearing at an alarming rate.”

 

For more information about the Centennial Farms Program or to receive an application and brochure, please call the State Historical Fund at 303-866-2825 or vist ColoradoCentennialFarms.org.

 

 

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About History ColoradoEstablished in 1879, the Colorado Historical Society—today’s History Colorado—preserves Colorado’s rich heritage through the State Historical Fund, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, collections stewardship, statewide museums and programs for students, educators and visitors of all ages. History Colorado is headquartered in the History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203 in Denver’s Golden Triangle Museum District. Find History Colorado at Facebook.com/HistoryColorado and @HistoryColorado. For more information, visit HistoryColorado.org or call (303) HISTORY.