Francis and Estelle Engler moved from Rocky Ford and homesteaded-160 acres near Allison in La Plata County in 1904 eleven miles southeast of Ignacio. The Engers raised honey bees while clearing the land  and the first crop was sweet clover that the bees found so favorable in turning into delicious honey. Orchards were developed that produced apples, peaches, pears and black walnuts. Son Paris bought an additional 200 acres raising alfalfa, oats and corn and shipping cream to Durango and clover seed and turkeys by rail to Kansas City.

Harry and Emma Pearson acquired 320 acres of prime farmland in La Plata County back in 1901. Although half of that land was submerged in the construction of the Vallecito Reservoir north of Bayfield, and other land has been sold, the remaining 110 acres produce more than 40 tons of hay and an annual calf crop of 20 to 25 head. The application adds "we run 25 head of mother cows, and many great-grandchildren".

The Crawford Ranch is located on 620 acres in La Plata County near the town of Hesperus. The homestead started out as a logging claim established by Allen & Pearl Crawford. Although there are no written records from the early days, and the exact date that they settled on the land is not known, it may have been as early as 1886, and land records clearly trace their ownership to 1898. The ranch is currently owned and run as a hay and cattle operation by Allen & Pearl Crawford's grandchildren, Mike, Mark, Ronald & Bonnie Crawford.

The 1,500-acre Steward Ranch is located in La Plata County near Durango. Its history began in 1889 when Aaron (Nate) Steward purcased 40 acres of land at the end of Lightner Creek Road. In 1897 Nate sold the ranch, which by then was 200 acres, to his brother Morgan L. Steward, who came to Colorado with his wife, Rennie, from their cattle ranch in Oklahoma. For many years, starting in the 1920s, the ranch was run by their four sons, Wayne, Glen, Fay, and Dean, know as the Steward Brothers.

The Pedwell Farm, located near Durango in La Plata County, got its start in 1896. Four years after Edward and Martha Pedwell were married in Durango's Strater Hotel, they decided that they didn't want to raise their young boys in the "big city" of Durango. So, they traded seven lots in town for a homestead on Florida Mesa, and the family has been living there ever since. Edward and Martha's daughter, Marie Pedwell  Shields, still lives there, as does her daughter and grandchildren. The family is also a recipient of the historic structures award.

The Wommer Ranch is located in La Plata County near Bayfield. It consists of 220 acres which is being devoted to the raising of cattle and hay. The ranch was first homesteaded by Henry Reich in 1883. The current owner and operator of the ranch, Edwin C. Wommer, is great-grandson of the original homesteaders. Ed Plans to pass the ranch on to his son, Monte, when he can no longer work it himself.

Four generations of the same family have made the Eppich Ranch in Mancos their home. In 1887 John Sponsel homesteaded the property and built a log cabin for his family. In 1915 John's son built a frame house which is still lived in today by the present owner Genevieve Eppich. Since 1971 she has managed the ranch by herself with the help of her children. They own and run 60 head of cattle and 50 head of sheep, as well as raise hay.

The Wommer Ranch in Bayfield was homesteaded in 1878 by Nick and Elizabeth Wommer. The present 113 acres are part of the original ranch which at one time was comprised 2000 acres. The property has always been a cattle ranch and consisted of selling calves and yearlings and producing the feed for them. The oldest buildings on the ranch date back to 1902 when a large sawmill operated on the property. The present owners are Frank and Jessie Wommer.

The Aspaas Ranch, located near Hesperus in LaPlata County,was deeded to Annette Johnsen Aspaas, a Norwegian immigrant, in 1913. Annette passed in 1920, dividing the ranch among her four children and it has remained in the family since then. Historically and today, Aspaas Ranch raises cattle and allows grazing in the autumn. By 2010, Helen Ruth Aspaas finished purchasing shares from cousins and became sole owner of the property. In 2010, Helen Ruth placed a conservation easement on the ranch, held by La Plata Open Space Conservancy.

The 1905 Animas City School was the only public school servicing Animas City, a small town north of Durango founded in 1876, until Animas City’s School District #1 was incorporated into Durango’s School District #9 in 1939.