A somewhat hidden gem in Rocky Mountain National Park and one which I visited for the first time this weekend. I never even knew the place existed until I saw a picture another photographer had posted recently and then knew I had to check it out.
Built in 1942, the barn lies in the shadows of the Never Summer Mountains in the park’s Kawuneeche Valley. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and one of the few barns left in Rocky Mountain as most others were removed to return the landscape to its natural state.
The ranch was last owned by Fred Dick who left it to his wife, Betty, when he died in 1992. The NPS tried to evict Mrs. Dick causing an uproar in the local community that garnered national media attention.
In 2006 Congress passed the “Betty Dick Residence Protection Act” which was then signed by President George W. Bush ensuring Mrs. Dick could remain for the rest of her life. Sadly she passed away in November of that year but did spend her last summer on the property.
