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Plains, trains and a century: Lowell Ranch sees crashes, more in 100 years
The 175-acre Lowell Ranch on Plum Creek has survived plane crashes, train wrecks and the Great Depression on the way to operating for more than 100 years.
By By: Sean Hadden
The 175-acre Lowell Ranch on Plum Creek has survived plane crashes, train wrecks and the Great Depression on the way to operating for more than 100 years.
"There has been a couple of big train wrecks here on the property, and two plane crashes," said John Lowell, the ranch's proprietor. "And I thank my parents for keeping the ranch going and getting us through the Great Depression."
The Lowell Ranch is 3 miles south of Castle Rock along the east frontage road of Interstate 25.
To recognize the difficulty of maintaining an agricultural property through the turbulent 20th century, state and national historians awarded Lowell and his wife, Bea, a Centennial Farms Award at this summer's Colorado State Fair in Pueblo.
To qualify for the award, a ranch or farm must have been used and still be used for agriculture for 100 years or more.
Three buildings on the ranch also received special recognition for their historic value from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
To qualify, structures and buildings must be 50 or more years old.
One of these buildings is a former log house that is now used as a chicken house, John said.
"It was built around 1860 and my folks lived there, and Bea and I lived there when we were first married," he said.
The house the Lowells now call home was also recognized, said Alyson McGee of the State Historical Fund. It was built in 1917.
A red barn standing on the property also was recognized by the trust, as was a windmill, she said.
"It's a beautiful big red barn," John said.
Another barn that sat formerly at the Douglas County Fairgrounds recently has been moved to the Lowell Ranch and after some restoration will serve as a meeting space for county 4-H participants.
"When I was 5 years old that was an old building," John said.
Moving the meeting barn to the ranch is part of a recently completed donation of the Lowell Ranch to Douglas County 4-H, he said.
John said he and Bea decided to donate the ranch to preserve its active agricultural status.
"We're interested in youth and interested in maintaining the agricultural heritage in the county," he said.
The Lowell Ranch joins Eagle Mountain Ranch in Larkspur, Feather Ridge Farm in Franktown, Kelty's Bar Mill Iron Ranch in Franktown, Oaklands Ranch in Sedalia, Rock Ridge in Franktown, Winkler Ranch in Castle Rock, and Woodhouse Ranch in Sedalia as recipients of Centennial Farms awards.
John's father, Henry L. Lowell, started the ranch, which originally measured about 3,200 acres, he said. The family raised Hereford cattle on the property through much of the 20th century, he said.
But he turned to raising Hampshire sheep in the 1980s, John said. He now has 70 breeding sheep on the property.
The Lowells recently returned from the National Hampshire Show in Sedalia, Mo. with a grand national champion yearling ewe, and a first-place ram, he said.
One of the funnier stories in the ranch's history recounts the time when legendary KOA radio personality weatherman Bowman crashed his plane there.
He survived the crash, sustaining only minor injuries, but the impact had an unexpected side effect.
Bowman and his wife had been unable to conceive a child, Lowell said.
"After that [the plane crash] his wife got pregnant," he said.
"There has been a couple of big train wrecks here on the property, and two plane crashes," said John Lowell, the ranch's proprietor. "And I thank my parents for keeping the ranch going and getting us through the Great Depression."
The Lowell Ranch is 3 miles south of Castle Rock along the east frontage road of Interstate 25.
To recognize the difficulty of maintaining an agricultural property through the turbulent 20th century, state and national historians awarded Lowell and his wife, Bea, a Centennial Farms Award at this summer's Colorado State Fair in Pueblo.
To qualify for the award, a ranch or farm must have been used and still be used for agriculture for 100 years or more.
Three buildings on the ranch also received special recognition for their historic value from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
To qualify, structures and buildings must be 50 or more years old.
One of these buildings is a former log house that is now used as a chicken house, John said.
"It was built around 1860 and my folks lived there, and Bea and I lived there when we were first married," he said.
The house the Lowells now call home was also recognized, said Alyson McGee of the State Historical Fund. It was built in 1917.
A red barn standing on the property also was recognized by the trust, as was a windmill, she said.
"It's a beautiful big red barn," John said.
Another barn that sat formerly at the Douglas County Fairgrounds recently has been moved to the Lowell Ranch and after some restoration will serve as a meeting space for county 4-H participants.
"When I was 5 years old that was an old building," John said.
Moving the meeting barn to the ranch is part of a recently completed donation of the Lowell Ranch to Douglas County 4-H, he said.
John said he and Bea decided to donate the ranch to preserve its active agricultural status.
"We're interested in youth and interested in maintaining the agricultural heritage in the county," he said.
The Lowell Ranch joins Eagle Mountain Ranch in Larkspur, Feather Ridge Farm in Franktown, Kelty's Bar Mill Iron Ranch in Franktown, Oaklands Ranch in Sedalia, Rock Ridge in Franktown, Winkler Ranch in Castle Rock, and Woodhouse Ranch in Sedalia as recipients of Centennial Farms awards.
John's father, Henry L. Lowell, started the ranch, which originally measured about 3,200 acres, he said. The family raised Hereford cattle on the property through much of the 20th century, he said.
But he turned to raising Hampshire sheep in the 1980s, John said. He now has 70 breeding sheep on the property.
The Lowells recently returned from the National Hampshire Show in Sedalia, Mo. with a grand national champion yearling ewe, and a first-place ram, he said.
One of the funnier stories in the ranch's history recounts the time when legendary KOA radio personality weatherman Bowman crashed his plane there.
He survived the crash, sustaining only minor injuries, but the impact had an unexpected side effect.
Bowman and his wife had been unable to conceive a child, Lowell said.
"After that [the plane crash] his wife got pregnant," he said.
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