Located near Salida, the original part of Hutchinson Ranch was made up of two 160-acre parcels “squatted” on by Joseph S. Hutchinson in 1867. Squatter’s rights were purchased by Hutchinson in 1873. The two original log cabins do not now exist but one hand-hued cabin built in 1867 does exist. The ranch was headquarters for a range cattle operation with several thousand head, called “Hutchinson and Co.,” running cattle on the Arkansas, in South Park, and in the San Luis Valley. Joseph S. Hutchinson served on the territorial legislature and the first State of Colorado legislature. He died in 1882, leaving his wife Annabel and four sons.