By Shannon Lukens for Steamboat Radio News/Birchwood Communications LLC. Courtesy photos.

 

Two Routt County properties have received historic designations from the Routt county Historic Preservation Board.

The Margaret Duncan Brown Ranch headquarters near Clark and the Nyby Barn District west of Steamboat Springs have both been added to the Routt County Register of Historic Properties.

They both represent Routt County agricultural and homesteading heritage.

More information is below.

 

Press Release from Historic Routt County; May 14, 2026.

 

Historic Routt County Celebrates Approval of Two New Routt County Historic Designations

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colorado — Historic Routt County is pleased to announce that two historic property nominations have been reviewed and approved by the Routt County Historic Preservation Board and officially added to the Routt County Register of Historic Properties. The newly designated properties are the Margaret Duncan Brown Ranch Headquarters near Clark and the Nyby Barn District west of Steamboat Springs.

The approvals recognize two important examples of Routt County’s agricultural and homesteading heritage and continue ongoing efforts to preserve the county’s historic ranch landscapes, rural architecture, and cultural history. Both properties retain a high degree of historic integrity, including original materials, historic setting, workmanship, and association with Routt County’s early agricultural development.

The Margaret Duncan Brown Ranch Headquarters designation honors one of the most remarkable women ranchers in Routt County history. Located along the Elk River near Clark, the ranch headquarters includes the historic Brown House, Ice House, Bunk House, Round Mountain Homestead Cabin, Dog House, and associated historic landscape.

Margaret Duncan Brown arrived in Routt County in 1915 with her husband, Thornton “Dick” Brown. Following his death during the influenza pandemic of 1918, she continued operating the ranch independently and eventually developed a successful sheep operation during a period when few women managed ranches on their own in northwestern Colorado. Her journals later became the basis for the memoir Shepherdess of Elk River Valley, an important account of ranch life and the changing landscape of Routt County during the early twentieth century.

The designation also recognizes the architectural significance of the ranch headquarters. The circa-1908 two-story log home is believed to be one of the few remaining historic two-story log houses in Routt County and remains a prominent visual landmark within the Elk River Valley.

 

In recent years, Margaret Duncan Brown’s contributions have received increasing statewide recognition. The ranch was recognized by History Colorado in 2019 as a Centennial Farm/Ranch with Historic Structures, and Brown was posthumously honored by the Colorado Wool Growers Association in 2022 for her contributions to Colorado’s sheep industry.

Historic Routt County also celebrated the approval of the Nyby Barn District designation, located on Whitewood Drive west of Steamboat Springs. The district includes a historic gambrel-roof log barn, a distinctive shed constructed in part from recycled railroad ties, and surrounding agricultural features associated with the original Frank Hazan homestead established in 1907.

The Nyby Barn District reflects the broader story of homesteading and agricultural development in Routt County following passage of the Homestead Act. The designation documents the property’s evolution through multiple ranching families and its transition during the 1970s from agricultural land into part of the Whitewood subdivision during a period when tourism and recreation increasingly reshaped Routt County’s economy.

Despite those changes, the historic barn and shed remain standing and retain many original construction features. The barn still contains an early Louden hay trolley system dating from the early twentieth century, while the shed reflects the practical ingenuity of homesteaders who relied on locally available and recycled materials for construction.

“These designations preserve important connections to Routt County’s ranching and homesteading history,” said Arianthé Stettner on behalf of Historic Routt County. “Properties like these tell the story of the people, architecture, and working landscapes that shaped northwest Colorado. Historic agricultural properties are disappearing throughout the Yampa Valley, and preserving these places helps connect future generations to Routt County’s past.”

Local historic designation helps recognize and preserve places that contribute to Routt County’s historic identity while encouraging continued stewardship of important cultural landscapes and historic structures.

Historic Routt County is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the history, architecture, and cultural heritage of Routt County through advocacy, research, education, and preservation initiatives.

For additional information, contact Historic Routt County at 970-875-1305.

Sources: Margaret Duncan Brown Ranch Headquarters nomination materials; Nyby Barn District nomination materials.