1860s. 6.2 miles north of Westcliffe on Colorado 69
The red-roofed buildings of the Beckwith Ranch have long been local landmarks. The vaguely Italianate ranch house with square tower, ornate balcony, bay window, and porte-cochère is one of the county's more elaborate early residences. The main house is flanked by small frame dwellings and outbuildings, as well as two clapboard barns with louvered cupolas. The complex exemplifies a growing ranch which, with rural frugality, kept the older structures, including the bunk-house across the road, as new ones were added. Elton T. Beckwith, a native of Maine, drove cattle herds to Colorado in 1869 to feed the miners. By 1880, the Beckwith Cattle Company was running 2,000 head of cattle and breeding blooded horses.