About the Ranch

James Hitchens arrived in the Yampa Valley in 1884 and filed on land intending to homestead in 1886. The former miner patented the homestead in 1899. His son Albert took over operations in 1929 and in 1958, his son Errold took over the ranch and the farming of wheat, oats, and barley. In 1995, the State of Colorado listed the Hitchens Ranch as a Centennial Farm and Ranch. Diane Hitchens Holly passed the ranch, now named the Overlook Ranch, on to her sons Travis and Cody in 2011. Images of Albert and Errold Hitchens and the historic Hitchens Ranch can be found at the Tread of Pioneers Museum.