Mock Trinchera Creek Ranch

We are honored to have obtained an exclusive listing on a long-term ownership cattle/recreation ranch located at Trinchera, Colorado. This ranch has been under the same family ownership for well over 100 years, with the heirs now being 5th and 6th generation. Access to the property is provided by paved US Highway frontage and graded county roads.

Joseph “Pappa Joe” Doherty immigrated from Ireland to the United States in the 1870’s. He established several mercantile stores in Northeast New Mexico and Southeast Colorado. One of his stores was established in Trinchera, Colorado. As his mercantile business grew, he started acquiring ranches in both states, ultimately purchasing nine different ranches, totaling approximately 330,000 acres. Today, many of his heirs still ranch in this area.

The terrain of the Trinchera Creek Ranch is diverse, ranging from scenic creek bottoms and gently rolling open prairie lands that elevate to heavily timbered, rugged mesa side slopes. The highest elevation on the ranch is just over 6,500 feet on the far south end of the property. This area of the ranch is very scenic with a moderate to sometimes dense canopy of juniper and piñion. Mesa side slopes are steep in places, with fractured rock ledges found in the rougher portions of this high country. This area of the ranch is a haven for wildlife.

Trinchera Creek enters the property on the southwest side of the ranch and runs in a northeasterly direction through the central portion of the ranch for a distance of approximately 6 miles. Year round live water flows through the entirety of this creek. As Trinchera Creek enters the ranch, elevations are in the range of 5,800 feet. On the north end of the property, where the creek exits the ranch, elevations descend to approximately 5,600 feet, which is the lowest elevation on the entire ranch. Several other side creeks run through the ranch and ultimately converge with Trinchera Creek. These tributaries also have large holes and pockets of water most of the year. The ranch supports a good variety of palatable native grasses. Scattered cholla, bear grass and chemise are found in the lower rolling prairie areas, and juniper, pinion and oak are common in the rougher, higher elevations.

The Trinchera Creek Ranch is fenced and crossfenced into approximately 20 pastures and smaller traps. The ranch is considered to be well watered. Live water from Trinchera Creek and side creeks is found in about one-third of the pastures. Numerous earthen ponds are located along drainages, and many of these ponds serve as excellent sources of livestock water.

In addition to these water sources, an extensive waterline network serves a major portion of the property. An electric submersible well is the source of this waterline. This well is approximately 38 feet deep and is equipped with a 1.5 horse power electric motor. This well pumps approximately 20 gallons per minute, and water quality is good. Around 20 miles of waterlines are tied to this excellent water source. Approximately 15 – 20 livestock water troughs are located on this line. Several hydrants have been installed along the line in case additional drinking troughs are ever needed. In addition to this major water source, there are three additional operating windmills and an electric solar well on the ranch. The depth of these wells varies from around 120 – 170 feet.

Structural improvements on the Trinchera Creek Ranch are modest, but adequate. These improvements consist of an owner’s home, barns, working pens and the main shipping pens.

Depending on conditions, the property has historically been operated as a 400 – 450 animal unit ranch. The ranch is currently operated as a cow/calf ranching unit, but this is also desirable yearling country, offering great summer gains under normal conditions. In order to supplement the ranch’s income, the owners typically take in a limited number of hunters. Antelope are very common in the open plains country, with mule deer, turkey and elk found in the more protected, higher elevations of the ranch. Bear and lion are sighted on occasion.

The property is located in an area with a desirable year round climate, offering mild summer days and cool to cold winter temperatures. Average precipitation is in the range of 14 to 15 inches annually, with several snows occurring during the winter months, generally accumulating a total of 2 to 3 feet of snow per year.

The Trinchera Creek Ranch is now, for the first time ever, being offered for sale at $345 per acre. Property taxes are reasonable, being approximately $0.28 per acre. After many years of living on the property and ranching for a living, the current owners are now planning to retire. As one can imagine, deciding to sell this fine ranch was a difficult decision to make, and the owners have considerable sentimental attachment to the property. Their deceased mother’s and father’s ashes were scattered over an elevated mesa ridge point on the south end of the property, and the owners would like to retain the right to re-visit this site in the future.

If you are in the market for a quality Southern Colorado operating cattle ranch, the Trinchera Creek Ranch deserves your consideration.