Hesperus, Colorado

A Brief History of Hesperus

The history of the Hesperus area in La Plata County includes generations of ranching and land stewardship. History Colorado traces Allen and Pearl Crawford’s ownership of their nearby ranch to 1898; the homestead began as a logging claim before developing into a hay and cattle operation. Another local property, Aspaas Ranch, was deeded to Norwegian immigrant Annette Johnsen Aspaas in 1913. After her death in 1920, her four children inherited the ranch. A century of family ownership was followed by a conservation easement in 2010, preserving land associated with the area’s agricultural past.