Ranching the Land since 1871

Jackson Ranch is a family owned venture originally purchased by our Grandparents, Bill and Esther Brown.  Our dad,  Gwilym Brown, recollects from his youth that when someone asked his folks where they lived, they would say, “We’re calling it Happy Landing Ranch but you know it as the Jackson Ranch.”   Due to the fact that there were not many people in the area and that the Jacksons were well known, everyone knew exactly where they meant. 

            According to the Abstract of Title for this property, the original owners were:  Francis H. Jackson, George H. Bend and Thomas J. Wood.  It was purchased from the United States of America in 1871.  Jackson, Bend, and Wood were trustees for The Colorado Pinery and Land Company which was an early logging outfit in the area.  It wasn’t long until Jackson became president of the company and in 1886 he handed down this parcel of land to his son,  Oliver P. Jackson. O.P. Jackson was noted as one of the original settlers of Monument.

            O.P. Jackson, for reasons unknown, had to mortgage the property and did so with a well known banker, William Sharpless Jackson (pictured at right).  Wm. S. Jackson was one of the founding fathers of Colorado Springs and a good friend of General William Palmer.  Sharpless was  married to Helen Hunt  (a noted author) and owned the ranch from 1888 to 1919.

            William Sharpless Jackson handed down ownership of the ranch in a trust belonging to his children.  William Sharpless Jackson Jr. (executor of the trust) sold the property to brothers William and Charles Hendrix in 1930.  They in turn sold the place to Bill and Esther Brown in 1944. More can be found about the Jackson family HERE.

             Interesting side note, the old Jackson Ranch sits atop Palmer Ridge and as a result the water flows in two directions. The water that flows to the northeast is the beginning of West Cherry Creek which flows into the South Platte River; and the water that flows southwest is the beginning of Jackson Creek (coincidence?) which flows into Monument Creek and eventually into the Arkansas River. 

            Jackson Ranch has a rich history with pioneering forefathers. When the blessed homeowners purchase a home site and build their home, they too can say, “We live at Jackson Ranch,” and, as in days of olde,  people will know where they mean.

Written by Marlene Brown, HOA President