Alva Dodd came to Colorado from Davis County, Iowa and in 1884 purchased what is now the Dodd Farm in Longmont. Alva and his wife, Della raised a family of 10 children on the farm, three of whom are still living. The oldest building still standing on the farm is the house which was constructed in 1898.

The Deering Farm in Yuma was founded in 1887 by Gotlieb and Katie Glantz, and is now the property of their great granddaughter, Grace Deering Trunde. The principal crop of the 160 acre farm is wheat.

J. A. Dawson purchased the 160 acre Dawson Farm in Ovid in 1887. He thought he was homesteading the property but found out that it belonged to the railroad so he bought the land from them. Cattle, horses and hogs were raised along with corn, alfalfa, sugar beets, oats, barley and wheat. Today, corn, pinto beans and alfalfa are the major crops.

The Crill Ranch in Baca County was founded by Gabriel Crill in 1884, transferred to his son in 1943, and to his grandson in 1965. Numerous sources document that  Gabriel Crill was the first bona fide resident of Baca County.  He settled there after a sheep selling business in Kansas failed and left him and his partner financially ruined. In Colorado, Gabriel prospered. He went into business as a notary public and obtained an appointment as a Federal Land Registrar. In the mid 1880's, Gabriel purchased cattle in Texas and drove them to his ranch in Baca County.

James Conlin acquired 160 acres in Weld County from the Union Pacific Railway Co. for $864. Although the first proof of his ownership is dated July 1888, family history traces his presence on the land back to 1882. James raised cattle and horses on his ranch and also planted grains and winter wheat. The present owners, Harold and Katherine Craven, grow corn as the major crop.

Walter Bradford, his aunt Emma Hall and his sister Mamie Bradford homesteaded the Bradford Ranch in Wray in the fall of 1888. Early crops were hay and corn. Horses, mules and cattle were raised on the farm and on the open range surrounding it. Today the ranch produces cattle and corn.

The Archuleta Ranch bears the name of the family after which Archuleta County was named. Jose Marcellino Archuleta left Conejos County with 17 head of cattle and filed on land in the southern part of what is now Archuleta County in 1876. He opened the first bank in Pagosa Springs, the Archuleta Mercantile, the Pagosa Hotel and theater, and a sawmill and flour mill in Edith. He expanded his livestock holdings to 50,000 head of cattle and 75,000 head of sheep. Today the major crop of the ranch is alfalfa.

The Anderson Ranch in Meeker was homesteaded in 1886 by Olaf Anderson. He came to the United States with his brother, August, from Sweden in 1881. Over the years, the original 160 acres were added to through various purchases and the ranch now consists of 3432 acres. There are numerous historic structures still standing on the ranch, many of them constructed of log. These include the original log cabin, a horse barn and cowbarn, and the bunkhouse.

The MY Ranch located in Grand County near Kremmling was established by E. C. Yust in 1884. He received the final patent on the homestead in 1895. The numerous historic buildings located on the ranch have the distinction of being listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The main house is a 2 story log structure started in 1885 and added to over the years. The living room was the first room in Grand County large enough with a good floor to use as a dance floor. Cattle and hay are raised today.

The Ward Ranch in Saguache was homesteaded by Nathan Ward, a veteran of the civil war. While serving in the Union Forces, he helped build Ft. Garland. On of his other duties was hunting to provide meat for the soldiers. On one excursion on Mt. Blanca, he looked through his binoculars and saw the beautiful area of Saguache Creek and determined then to settle there after the war. Hay and cattle are raised on the ranch. Nathan's great grandson Larry operates the cattle ranch today.