1888. He had a contract to cut and haul ties for the
nearby narrow-gauge railway then under construction
between Ridgway and Telluride. In 1901, two
brothers, Andrew Boyd and Johnson Ezekiel Collins,
borrowed money from their father to purchase what is
now the homestead portion of Last Dollar Ranch. The
Collins family constructed irrigation ditches and
numerous log outbuildings in those early years to
establish a fine working ranch.
In 1917 they built their Country Victorian house and
continued to improve the hay meadows and grain
fields, and owned the ranch until 1989. At that time
they sold Last Dollar Ranch to the present owners,
Joan and Vince Kontny, who restored all of the
facilities.
A unique aspect of the ranch is the carvings on
dozens of its aspen trees that record the thoughts,
events, and stories of the Collins’ history on the
ranch… reflecting hardships, weather, work, and joy.
Andrew Boyd Collins on Dude in front of the Last Dollar Ranch
Victorian House, 1922
Victorian House, 1922
James Smith, a ranch hand at
Last Dollar Ranch, circa 1920
Last Dollar Ranch, circa 1920
Aspen Carvings throughout the woods at Last Dollar Ranch
J.P. King | phone 1.800.558.5464 | fax 256.546.3311 | AuctionInfo@JPKing.com
Graphics & Site Design by Iron Dog Design
Graphics & Site Design by Iron Dog Design