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Ephraim Blake Ranch
Ephraim was born in the state of Main in 1829. He
settled in Colorado in Douglas County and was considered a pioneer.
By 1876 he had purchased 200 acres just north of Larkspur Butte in the
area around Lower Lake Gulch road and where the I-25 expressway is
today. He was listed in the 1880 census as a farmer with three
children; George, Mary and Lucius. The census information also showed
that he was married to Martha.
From newspaper reports we know that Ephraim raised horses and cattle
on his ranch.
An interesting story appeared in the Castle Rock Journal on July 2,
1890 “While Mrs. E. Blake and the children were on Raspberry mountain
a while ago they came across a pair of young catamounts which they
captured and now have in the their possession. Fortunately the mother
was not at home just then or there might have been a different ending
to the days outing”. Catamount is another name for the
Mountain Lion or Cougar that still roams the lands that Ephraim Blake
once called home. Raspberry Mountain is the name for the Butte in
Larkspur which has the Monkey Face on one of its hill tops.
On October 11, 1890 Ephraim died of heart disease and is buried in the
Cedar Hill Cemetery in Castle Rock.
Thanks to the Colorado Historic Newspaper
Collection, the U.S. Census records and BLM records.
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