About SCRO and the "Ranches"
History of the Land
​ The Sangre de Cristo Ranches subdivision (nicknamed “the Ranches”) is located in Costilla County in the San Luis Valley, adjacent to the unincorporated town of Fort Garland. ​The subdivision has its roots in the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant of 1841. In the 1860s, some of the land was sold to William Gilpin and partners, who divided the property into two
ranches, each about 250K acres: the Costilla Estate and the Trinchera Estate. Costilla Estate was subdivided, and a portion of the estate became the present-day Cielo Vista Ranch, which historically has been known as “La Sierra” by long-time local residents.
​In 1939, Ruth Hanna McCormick Simms acquired the Trinchera Estate. In 1950, her family divided the property into two ranches. Her family retained the “Trinchera Ranch” (160K acres?) and they sold the “Blanca Ranch” (90K acres?). ​In 1969, Trinchera Ranch and Blanca Ranch were sold to Malcolm Forbes. In 1971, Forbes subdivided the Trinchera Ranch property into two parts. The Sangre de Cristo Ranches subdivision was established on 66K acres while the remaining
acreage (112K) was retained for the ranch. Forbes died in 1990. In 2004, the Forbes family donated a conservation easement of 80K acres of the Trinchera Ranch to the Colorado Open Lands trust to protect it from future development. In 2007, the Forbes family sold Trinchera Ranch and Blanca Ranch to Louis Bacon.
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​​​The Sangre de Cristo Ranches subdivision
​​The “Ranches” subdivision consists of approximately 7,740 off-grid lots that range in size from 2 to 20 acres (average size of 8.5 acres). The subdivision was developed by the for-profit entity, Sangre de Cristo Ranches, Inc. (SdCR, Inc.). It appears that SdCR, Inc. may have intended to establish a homeowners association (HOA) or a property owners
association (POA) through the corporation. If that was their intent, it did not happen.
​​ SdCR, Inc. created a set of covenants that were to be enforced initially by itself (SdCR, Inc.); those covenants were attached to the land "in perpetuity." When the county developed its land use code, that code replaced the covenants. Sometimes, buyers still receive a copy of the covenants with their closing documents. However, after lot sales were completed in 2000, SdCR, Inc. voluntarily withdrew its authority to conduct business in Colorado, and the corporation became defunct in 2009. It appears no entity with the authority to enforce the covenants exists today. The
continued distribution of unenforceable covenants creates perpetual confusion for prospective and current landowners.
Adjacent to the Ranches is a second subdivision, Forbes Park. It is true that it was developed by Forbes. However, that is the only association between the two subdivisions. Web searches sometimes indicate that Forbes Park is part of the Ranches. It is not. It is a separate and unrelated subdivision.
Sangre de Cristo Ranch Owners, Inc. (SCRO)
​Our non-profit organization, Sangre de Cristo Ranch Owners, Inc. (SCRO), was established in 1986 as “Concerned Property Owners, Sangre de Cristo Ranches.” In 1993, the organization's name was changed to its current name. Different names have been unofficially used over the years, including the monikers “HOA” and “association.” However,
SCRO's legal name is Sangre de Cristo Ranch Owners, Inc. Membership and participation in SCRO are absolutely voluntary.
​Throughout the history of the organization, some of SCRO's characteristics have remained consistent. Membership is limited to individuals or entities who own land with the “Ranches” subdivision. The purpose of our organization is to protect, preserve, and maintain property and property rights, to provide communication and information to the landowners, and to maintain relationships with local/county agencies. Its first priority is to benefit the members; its second priority is to benefit the community. In honoring that purpose, SCRO has, at times, taken on the role of an unofficial HOA or POA. This
Credit: Tanya Edwards
has been especially true in times when the community has faced great challenges.
With its four-decades-long history within Costilla County, SCRO stands as one of the most recognized and influential community organizations in the local area. We look forward to continuing to make a lasting contribution to the Ranches subdivision and its surrounding community.