“Legacy: A Year with the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agriculture Land Trust”

“Reclamation” 24″x36″ oil on gesso board

Fetcher Ranch, 1949 Jay Fetcher’s efforts to preserve the open landscapes of the Yampa Valley led to the establishment of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust. Tread of Pioneers Museum photograph: 5606

“Busy Bees” 6″x10″ oil on linen panel

Beekeeping, 1990
John Fetcher was known as a renaissance man
photo courtesy of Jay Fetcher

“January-1st Study” 8″x10″ oil on linen panel

Winter on the Ranch
1954
Pictured: Fetcher cattle follow the feed wagon on Routt County Road 62, now Steamboat Lake. For Routt County ranchers, keeping the cattle fed in the winter is essential to their survival. Cattle are fed twice daily with hay grown, cut, and saved on the ranch.
Photo by Stanton Fetcher. Tread of Pioneers Museum historic photograph collection: 5632

“January – 2nd Study” 6″x8″ oil on linen panel

“February” 6″x8″ oil on linen panel

Country Road Calm
Circa 1941
Pictured: County Road in North Routt County. The county roads of Routt County trace the rhythm of rural life, winding past pastures, hayfields, and fence lines. Here trucks, tractors, horseback and bike riders converge to reflect the variety of life in Routt County.
Tread of Pioneers Museum historic photograph collection: 8256

March (1) 8″x 10″ oil on linen panel

“March – 2nd Study” 8″x6″ oil on linen panel

Trailblazer
Circa 1986
Pictured: Elaine Becker Gay was born in 1918 in Logan, Kansas. She relocated to Routt County with her family in 1926. In 1938, Elaine married Bob Gay (1915-1994) and together they raised three children. Elaine was rancher through and through, she was also a writer, cook, painter, gardener, and each year she would visit a fourth-grade class and talk about early ranching in the Yampa Valley. She was a leader in land conservation.
Tread of Pioneers Museum historic photograph collection: 6678

“April – 1st Study” 8″x10″ oil on linen panel

“April – 2nd Study” 6″x8″ oil on linen panel

“House of Mom” (16”x12” oil on linen panel) was featured in the Russell Museum Western Art Experience. It is now available as a Giclee Print, limited edition

Mother and Children
Circa 1917
Pictured: Adaline Johnson Monger and her children Vauna, Elizabeth, Frank, Ben, and Lloyd.
Spring is calving season for many Routt County ranches. Ranchers, like the Mongers, strategically choose the time of year for calving, which is largely based on snow levels. For the experienced mother cows, birthing requires little human intervention and they give birth in the field on their own. The heifers (first time calvers) can require careful monitoring. The mother licks the calf clean which stimulates the calf to stand within minutes.
Tread of Pioneers Museum historic photograph collection: 8921

“May – 1st Study” 8″x10″ oil on linen panel

“May – 2nd Study” 6″x8″ oil on linen panel

“Mother & Child” 12″x15″ oil on linen panel

“Ram Skull” 6″x8″ oil on linen panel

Painting Day 2025 Pictured: Megan and Ella Knott. During artist Chula Beauregard’s visit to the Knott Ranch, Megan and daughter Ella were inspired to create their own artwork. Ella is the fifth generation to live on the ranch and continue the family’s tradition of caring for the land and new lambs that come each spring. Image courtesy: Chula Beauregard

“June” 10″x8″ oil on linen panel

Fresh Cut Hay
Aug. 7, 1985
Pictured: Rossi family’s hay fields. Routt County’s high altitude produces nutrition-rich hay. The dry-land hay and alfalfa matures from snow pack and rain and is harvested in mid-June. By mid-August, the flood-irrigation meadows growing brome/timothy/clover grasses are cut. The work requires careful timing, clear weather, and knowledge passed down through generations.
Photo courtesy: Kimberly Davis

“Snow in Summer” 11″x14″ oil on linen panel

Lunch in the Trees
Aug. 21, 1988
Pictured: Dean and Susan Rossi. Cottonwood trees line the creeks and streams at the Rossi Ranch, marking water locations in the otherwise dry landscape. The trees stabilize riverbanks and provide shelter for birds and wildlife. During the summer months, cattle gather in the shade provided by the cottonwoods to cool themselves and conserve energy. In this way, the trees support both the natural environment and the working landscape. In 1996, the Rossi’s were one of a few private ranches in the state to jointly manage its riparian habitat with a non-profit conservation group.
Photo courtesy: Kimberly Davis

July 8″x10″ oil on linen panel

“August – 1st Study” 8″x10″ oil on linen panel

“August- 2nd Study” 6″x8″ oil on linen panel

Elk River 1937 Pictured: Dorothy May (Jarvis) near the banks of the Elk River. The Elk River is essential to the agricultural lands it passes through. The river, its cottonwood trees, and the irrigated wetlands it helps create, supports acres of riparian habit and sustains life in the dry late summers and autumns. Flood-irrigated meadows are important for ranchers as well as a range of wildlife including migrating ducks, sandhill cranes, and mule deer. These hay meadows account for 2.5% of the Intermountain West’s irrigated footprint, but provide 58% of the region’s temporary wetland habitat. Tread of Pioneers Museum historic photograph collection: 7365

“September” 8″x10″ oil on linen panel

Birdseye View
Circa 1990s
Pictured: Elk Head Ranch. Calf Creek rushes with spring snow melt past the ranch buildings at Elk Head Ranch. Before it joins with Elkhead Creek, the intermittent Calf Creek provides water for ranch operations as well as a robust population of native birds who find refuge in the willows and cottonwood trees.
Photo courtesy: Heather Stirling

“Engineering Marvels” 16″x20″ oil on linen panel

“Money in the Bank” 6″x8″ oil on linen panel

Haying in Routt County
1938
Pictured: Stanko Ranch hay crew. Haying has long shaped the landscapes and traditions in Routt County. Each summer, ranchers cut, dry, and bale native grasses. The hard work ensures feed for their cattle through the winter. A full hay barn represents security for the season.

“October” 8″x10″ oil on linen panel

Ranch Women
Spring 1943
Pictured: Elizabeth Dorey Green (Jerry’s grandmother) and Mabel Yoast Green (Jerry’s mother)
The women of The Crags Ranch have shaped its past and carried on the traditions for generations. Elizabeth, Mabel, and Judy Green (Jerry’s wife) took on every task the ranch demanded from milking and haying to stocking the vegetable cellar. Their work and determination layers knowledge across time, blending tradition with daily practice.

“The Ancient Ones” Charcoal sketch on paper

Farm Girl from the Start
1983
Pictured: Judy Herskind Green competing in barrel racing at a rodeo in Castle Rock, CO. Judy grew up in Strasburg, Colorado on a wheat and barley farm. When she married into the Green family in 1969, she quickly fell into the rhythm of ranch work.
Photo courtesy: Judy Green

Elk Herd
c. 1990s
Pictured: Elk at Coberly Creek Ranch. With its close proximity to the Flat Tops Wilderness, elk have long shaped the landscape and life in southern Routt County.  The existence of two wolf families on either side of the ranch means that ranchers must carefully balance and manage the needs of both wildlife and their cattle.
Photo courtesy: Merrilee Ellis

“December” 8″x10″ oil on linen panel

Schoolyard Memories
1934
Pictured: Southside Schoolhouse with Alice Cheek, Mick Kumke, George Cheek, Bethel McKinney, Eunice Kemry (Dorr), and Chuck McKinney. The Stanko property is home to the historic one-room-county-schoolhouse. Southside was built in 1913 and served rural families of the Twentymile area. It operated until 1958. The Stanko family has served in the schools for generations, showing that a job teaching can provide security alongside the uncertain life of a rancher.
Tread of Pioneers Museum historic photograph collection: 7002