The historic Broadacres Ranch was first homesteaded in 1891 by Scottish immigrant John Grant. He emigrated to the area in 1885 and his 16 year old daughter Elsie soon followed. The ranch was named Glenmora after his home in Scotland. During this time, Creede was still a wild silver mining town inhabitated by the likes of Calamity Jane, Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson. The ice tongs that are the Ranch's brand date back to these same wild times, when the Broadacres supplied ice to nearby saloons and hotels (including the legendary big Watrous Saloon, owned by Bat Masterson). During the winter months, huge ice blocks were cut from the Ranch's largest lake, Broadacres lake, and stored with hay bales and sawdust in an ice house near the barn.

Elsie homesteaded adjoining land, and when her father passed away in 1907, she inherited the rest of the land. She ran the ranch on her own for several years until Mancos rancher Arthur Broadhead passed through the area. They married in 1915, and he erected the big green open barn that still stands near the ranch's entrance. For a short time, the ranch was renamed Broadhead Ranch and several years later became Broadacres Ranch.

Broadhead fell to pneumonia in 1931. From then on, Elsie ran the ranch until she was nearly 80 years old and sold the ranch in 1950 to Bruce and Catherine Wallace. She passed in 1954 at the age of 82.

Bruno and Bea Collerette purchased the Ranch in 1960. When Bruno passed in 1966, Bea assumed operations. She carried on Elsie's tradition by running Broadacres on her own for the next 32 years. She did a great deal to establish Broadacres Ranch as a guest ranch, great fishery, and a top area vacation destination.

In November of 1998, Broadacres was purchased by a family of fly fishing and outdoors enthusiasts. They immediately began to rebuild and restore many of the Ranch's buildings, carefully maintaining their historic architecture while endowing them with modern conveniences and luxurious furnishings.The ranch has also undergone extensive trout habitat improvement (read more about this work on the Angling Page). The end results are first class accommodations, the look and feel of the Old West, and fly fishing to rival that offered anywhere in the U.S.

Recognition of the Ranch's quality was confirmed by receipt of the Orvis endorsement in the Fall of 2000....and we're not done yet.