The Homestead Act of 1862, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, was a landmark U.S. law that encouraged westward expansion by offering 160 acres of public land to settlers for a small fee, provided they lived on and improved the homestead for five years. This legal innovation granted the homesteaders ownership and spurring settlement, farming, and economic growth in the West.

The Sheriff Ranch near Hot Sulphur Springs is designated a “Colorado Centennial Ranch” by History Colorado. It was successfully homesteaded in 1882 by widow Marietta Sheriff and her sons. Sheriff’s sister was the wife of William Byers, who developed the town of Hot Sulphur Springs. Several other Grand County ranches are considered to be “centennial.”

In 1893, the Daxton Ranch, five miles west of Fraser on Crooked Creek, was homesteaded by Jack Daxton. The LeRoux Ranch began in the mid-1800s by Owen F. Leroux. The MY Ranch E.C. Yust Homestead near Kremmling began in 1884.

According to History Colorado, “The numerous historic buildings located on the ranch have the distinction of being listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The main house is a 2 story log structure started in 1885 and added to over the years. The living room was the first room in Grand County large enough with a good floor to use as a dance floor.” 

Penny Rafferty Hamilton, Ph.D., is an historian of Grand County. Contact her at drpenny1@earthlink.net.