Picking up where we left off last month, James Abbe’s roaring lifestyle had a way of unraveling marriages. In 1944, he and Polly separated. After co-authoring three travel books, their children were by then quite well-adjusted and aging well with a passion for nature.

True to form, Patience went on to co-author the book The Last Redwoods with her brother John and her husband; she was also a sculptor. Richard served his country as a tail-gunner in WWII, graduating from Stanford and later Hastings College of Law, presaging his career as an appellate judge. Younger brother John also served in WWII; both brothers were ardent bicyclists. John enjoyed a lifelong career with the California State Employment Division.

The Abbe family gave up title to all Abbe Ranch acreage in Douglas County by 1949, and various parties bought and sold pieces of it until 1970. Seeing brief service as a summer guest lodge and ranch owned by Eugenia and Frank Cole, they renamed the property Rancho Estrillada. During the Cole’s ownership, it was improved with riding trails, stables and a cabin, once called “Concentration House” by the Abbes (a place reserved for quiet contemplation) was moved closer to the main house.

In 1970, along came the Farmers. A Pueblo native and widower, Richard Farmer happened across Susan in the early days of the Snowmass development. Richard and Susan were distinguished in their own right. Susan was an equestrienne extraordinaire and riding instructor. Richard was a West Point graduate, then nuclear and aeronautical engineer, joining the executive team at Lockheed Martin’s Roxborough facility. Having succeeded in her own world and independent, Susan consistently rejected Richard’s early overtures of marriage. Being an engineer, adamant and requiring a workable solution, Richard was not to be denied, and the couple married in 1970.

Seeking a home nearer his new employer, Richard and Susan fell under the spell of Raspberry Butte. A perfect fit for their interests, they purchased the property and reinstated the name, “Abbe Ranch.” By then, the core property had been winnowed down to 198 acres but the Farmers saw the ranch and future home as their golden opportunity.

While the Abbes were first to spot the property for its beauty and tranquility, the Farmers saw it as much more. Under the drive and vision of Susan, the ranch evolved into a national equestrian event venue, preeminent for years to come. The ranch sponsored its first show in June 1976. By 2006, Abbe Ranch had also hosted three regional event championships.

Richard was a history buff. Deeply intrigued with the ranch origins, he dug into its storied days and the larger-than-life tales of the Abbe family. The Farmers believed Abbe Ranch’s legacy had value, and upon their deaths earlier this year, the ranch was deeded over to the Douglas Land Conservancy so its heritage can be preserved and all can enjoy its charms in perpetuity.

Special thanks to Sharon Sjostrom and the Douglas Land Conservancy for their extensive research on Abbe Ranch.

 

By Joe Gschwendtner; photo courtesy of Douglas County Land Conservancy