| The 3,296-acre property now known as Lake
Catamount was first settled in much smaller parcels by several homesteaders more than a
century ago. As part of its ongoing commitment to historic preservation, Catamount Ranch
& Club has lovingly restored the only remaining homestead on the property, an early
1900s home and barn on the southeast side of Lake Catamount. Over the years the barn has
become a symbol of Lake Catamount. Now known collectively as the Heritage Center, the
cabin and barn will be used to host historic and wildlife education programs and a myriad
of other club events. The Harold family arrived in
Pleasant Valley in a covered wagon in 1910. They put up the barn first, and father and son
slept in it without heat that first winter while they were building the cabin. When they
hauled logs off the mountain their pants used to get pretty wet. They'd hang them up to
dry overnight and awake to find them frozen solid. Mrs. Harold and her three daughters
wintered with the Bonard family (homesteaders of what's now the Gay family's Green Creek
Ranch to the south). The Harold's didn't stay long. Besides the deep snow and long
winters, it was tough to eek out a living sandwiched between two larger very productive
cattle ranches, the Rehder property to the north, and the Bonard ranch to the south. A
succession of owners followed, from the Danvers to the Lugons. Through it all, the basic
structures have remained relatively intact.
In the early 1970s, the Lake Catamount area was first
proposed as a site for the downhill portions of the Colorado Winter Olympics bid.
Preliminary county approval was obtained for a vast new ski area, a base village with more
than 3,000 residential units, 1,000 hotel rooms and 250,000 square feet of retail space.
In 1996 Tim Mueller of Okemo Ski Area in Vermont purchased the land at Lake Catamount with
local businessmen Lyman Orton and Nick Schoewe as partners. In 1997, Cordillera purchased
what was then known as the Jobe Ranch, 4 miles to the north. Cordillera is known for
developing a 7,000-acre high alpine community with three golf courses outside of Beaver
Creek and Vail. After discussing their mutual desire for land preservation and limited
development, the Catamount partners (known as Okemo Partners) and Cordillera decided to
join projects, with Cordillera managing the development. After seeking a wealth of
community input, the Catamount Principals determined that a ski area was not in the
project's best interests.
In January of 1999 the Catamount partnership donated
conservation easements to the Yampa Valley Land Trust on virtually all of the land around
Lake Catamount. The easements ensure that the only development that can ever happen on the
land is 40 homes, 44 duplex cottages and the Lake Clubhouse and Lake Outfitter's Center,
as well as two wilderness cabins high above the lake. The Land Preservation Subdivision
agreement at Catamount Ranch states that only 25 homes can ever be built around on the
golf course site. The 300 acres around the golf course were dedicated as wildlife habitat
or working hay meadows. Construction began in the Spring of 1999 on the Tom
Weiskopf-designed Championship 18-hole golf course at Catamount Ranch & Club. It
will be the year-round activity center for club members. This winter that includes
cross-country skiing on a trail system still under design, snow shoeing, sleigh rides ice
skating on Lake Catamount and even winter fly-fishing. This summer, activity will turn to
water sports such as sailing, kayaking, canoeing, and sculling, as well as hiking and
mountain biking. The Catamount Club unifies both sites--in that property owners at each
neighborhood will have the opportunity to join the club, and in so doing enjoy privileges
at the championship Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course at Catamount Ranch, as well as at
the extensive club facilities at Lake Catamount. |
