Evans–Elbert Ranch, also called the Elbert-Austin Ranch, was built as a 300-acre family retreat and ranch in Upper Bear Creek near

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

Clear Creek County, Colorado Clear Creek County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,397. The county seat is Georgetown. Clear Creek County is part of the Denver metropolitan area. History Clear Creek County w ...

by John Evans, Colorado's second

territorial A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. Covering most of Corral Creek, Metz, and Vance valleys, it was a mountain cattle ranch. In 1868, Evans and his son-in-law

Samuel Hitt Elbert Samuel Hitt Elbert (April 3, 1833 – November 27, 1899) was an attorney in the Nebraska Territory before settling in the Colorado Territory. He served as the Secretary of the territory and from 1873 to 1874, he was the Governor of the Colorado ...

, who also became a Territorial governor, purchased more than 300 acres from John Vance, a homesteader. They became interested in the area after they took a camping trip in the Upper Bear Creek area and enjoyed the views, timber, grass, and game. It was called Kuhlborne Ranch by the family. They built a large rustic house called the cottage. There was a house on the property that was inhabited by the ranch foreman. Over time, more land was purchased and the ranch grew to several thousand acres. During the summer, the Evans family used the ranch to enjoy the valleys and mountains and to escape the heat of Denver. Anne, the youngest child of John Evans, led the ranch's development after Samuel Elbert and John Evans died in the late 1890s. In 1908, Louise Elbert Everett, Samuel Elbert's niece, purchased much of the ranch land. A rustic-style residence made of stone and logs, designed by architect J. Christopher Jensen, was built for her in 1908. The house was built by a local contractor, Jock Spence. In 1911, Anne Evans built the Anne Evans Mountain Home for herself.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Houses completed in 1911 National Register of Historic Places in Clear Creek County, Colorado Buildings and structures in Clear Creek County, Colorado Governor of Colorado