Batterson Ranch listed in National Register of Historic Places

By Kenneth Jessen
North Forty News

In 2003, Linda and Judd Adams purchased a historic homestead west of Livermore along Red Feather Lakes Road that included the Batterson barn. This barn has been a landmark for more than a century, first to travelers by stagecoach, then modern-day tourists and homeowners.

Linda Adams started a quest to document the Batterson family history and their move to the Livermore area. After completing extensive paperwork, she sought to get the property designated in the National Register of Historic Places.

In November, History Colorado (formerly the Colorado Historical Society) announced the listing as the Solomon Batterson Ranch Rural Historic Landscape. The site "is significant for its association with the stagecoach lines that enabled the economic development of the mountain communities west of Livermore during the late 19th and early 20th centuries," History Colorado said in its announcement.

"The Batterson Ranch stagecoach station was one of two swing stations for the Manhattan Stage line during the 1880s and 1890s and a regular stop for the Zimmerman Stage line from 1896 to 1903," the announcement said. "The 1890 barn remains the best example and one of the oldest extant stage station barns on the stage route between Livermore and Rustic. . .The barn's three bays, broken gable roof and timber framing are all feature-defining characteristics of the Midwest Three Portal barn."

J. Solomon Batterson and his family came into the area in 1870, making them among the earliest settlers in the Livermore area. They received the patent for their land in 1885. The barn was constructed five years later. The ranch stayed in the family until 1916 when John McNey II purchased the property. Two years later, the log homestead house was destroyed by fire, leaving only the barn and outbuildings.

Adams' research work started with the barn, and then the historical society realized that the property included the homestead site and the old Zimmerman Stage road. The study site grew to 13 acres.

Although constructed 120 years ago, the barn remains in use and is now home for horses. In the process of gathering information, Adams has come to appreciate the many features incorporated in the barn such as mysterious holes in the mangers. It turns out these were used to tie up teams, possibly during the time the barn was part of a swing station. Teams pulling a stagecoach had to be changed quickly to keep to the schedule.

One of the previous owners made the sturdy barn into a home and removed its hayloft. Guy wires were added as a structural substitute for the loft, providing internal support. The building originally sat on the ground and a concrete foundation was added to mitigate rot.

Adams has also used the barn as the subject for her own paintings and has a gallery of paintings done by her and others. It is among the most picturesque and historic barns in Larimer County and has attracted artists and photographers for years.