McNeil Ranch

Using Conservation Easements
Mike and Cathy McNeil live and work on the ranch established by family members a century ago.  Anyone familiar with ranching is aware of the many challenges. When it makes sense, we assist many of our customers, like the McNeils, in taking advantage of Conservation Easements.* Helping to maintain a certain quality of lifestyle is a priority. The story of the McNeil's is illustrative of why this is so important.

The Ranch is designated as a Centennial Ranch by the Colorado State Historical Society, and the Colorado Department of Agriculture. Currently the 4th, 5th, and 6th generations of the McNeil Family live, work, or play on the Ranch.

Cathy McNeil explains, "Current land values are such, that we find ourselves in the same position as many ranchers. We could sell the ranch, and live far more opulently than we do, now. However, we feel it is worth it to weather the hardships of ranching to preserve what we consider to be of extreme value to ourselves and the general public. Paper money comes and goes, land and water are tangible assets that sustain and nourish forever."

*A good source for information about land conservation in Colorado can be found at the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts at www.cclt.org

The Death of the West
By Mike McNeil ©1998

I love this land the young man said
They had moved out west now that the south was dead
The carpetbaggers had sealed their fate
They got out before it was too late
Paper money comes and goes, with land to work you're never poor

I love this land the young man said
Wall Street had crashed, the economy was dead
The great depression had sealed their fate
Now the nation could only wait
Paper money comes and goes, with land to work you're never poor

I love this land the young man said
Back from the war, most of his friends dead
World War Two had sealed their fate
Now he was home to a country so great
Paper money comes and goes, with land to work you're never poor

I'll sell this land the young man said
I can do this now that my father's dead
Greed and developers had sealed his fate
He found out after it was too late
Paper money comes and goes, with land to work, you're never poor.