One of Eagle County’s historic ranches, homesteaded in the late 1800s, will soon be protected from future development. When many locals think of the Eaton Ranch, they think of the property in Edwards across the Eagle River from the Eagle River Preserve open space. But that isn’t the original Eaton Ranch.
The original property is a 160-acre parcel up Squaw Creek. On that land, about 5 miles from U.S Highway 6, still stands the cabin where Vail co-founder Earl Eaton was born.
Eaton’s cousin Mike, one of the surviving family members, still runs cattle on the property and cares for the land. He and his brother, Perry, recently reached a conservation easement agreement with the Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust. It’s the first such easement that the organization has inked in Eagle County.
The Eagle County Board of Commissioners recently agreed to provide $88,550 in transaction costs for the deal. Those costs include an appraisal, various mineral, water and environmental reports and legal fees. The property is surrounded by U.
S. Forest Service property. Access will be maintained to an existing trail through the property.
Without the easement, the land near Cordillera could have been split into four home parcels. County Open Space Manager Peter Suneson said that isn’t what the Eatons wanted to see on the land. The land has “real meaning” to the family, Suneson said.
“We appreciated that, and we’re happy to be a teammate in that process. It’s a lovely.