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Ranch History
The prime grasslands of Fishhole Valley have provided a
living for many families over the centuries. The remains of
tepee rings and scattered arrowheads show that the meadows
were once the hunting grounds of Native Americans.
Frames of old barns and houses from the homestead of the
community of
Vistillas
stand as
reminders of the past. As the ranch changed hands over the
years, each new owner made a contribution; Fishhole is a
collage of hard work and love.
Our Story
We’d like to introduce ourselves. We are Steve and Karen Simmons, your hosts
at Aspen Ridge Resort and Fishhole Creek Ranch.
As you explore our website, we hope you’ll see that this is our ranch,
our home, and our life. It is our pleasure to share it with you.
Our love affair with Fishhole goes back to the first day that we saw it,
in 1975. Fresh out of college and newly married, we dreamed of raising
quality cattle on our own place. In a hidden mountain valley we found
14,000 acres of lush grasslands, forests, and rangeland. Strong, native
grasses grew without need for commercial fertilizers or mechanical
irrigation equipment. Cattle grazed in high-mountain meadows studded
with wildflowers. The “headquarters” was a tiny homesteader’s cabin with
a view of the surrounding pastures and the open sky. It seemed to be a
place where one man with a horse, a good dog, a shovel, and a little
help from Mother Nature, could accomplish wonders. It was, in fact, love
at first sight.
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Looking back, it is hard to believe that thirty-some years have passed.
We raised two daughters in the little ranch cabin. It was a life full of
the satisfaction of hard work and simple pleasures. Our girls learned to
ride as soon as they could sit on a horse, catch trout in the creek,
collect rocks and wildflowers, and play Old Maid by candlelight.
Over the years we made the kinds of changes that humans can make. We
implemented better grazing practices and protection for the riparian
areas on the creek. We built a new corral system, stronger fences,
better roads, and a system that supplied hot-and-cold running water to
the ranch cabin. But the essence of the ranch, the slick cattle grazing
in the meadows, has remained as it was for generations. In many ways we
continued the lives and work of those that were here before us.
In 1989, after years of entertaining friends and family in our primitive
accommodations, we began construction of Aspen Ridge Resort. To be sure,
it was a crazy, far-fetched idea. “You’re doing what, where?” was the
incredulous response of more than one person who heard of our plans. But
the dream took shape and the cabins, lodge, and all supporting systems
were completed and open for business in January, 1992.
The years, and thousands of guests, have proven what we felt the day of
our first visit. There is magic in this place. In the eighteen miles
between the highway and the ranch, the rest of the world slips away. We
invite you to come share our home. This may be the place you’ve been
dreaming of too.
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