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The fly-fishing is great on Eagle's Piney River. PHOTO: AP/WORLDWIDE
Rocky Mountain peaks, ski resorts including Vail and
secluded scenic valleys have made Eagle more of a
playground for the rich and famous than an ag
stronghold. Ranches are being sold for golf courses,
but some longtime families are comfortable here and
don't plan on going anywhere. "My dad and I started
from scratch when we leased land in 1947 and 1948,"
says Ben Wurtsmith, 71, of Burns, Colo. "We finally put
together a 400-cow outfit that's now run by my son,
daughter and grandson. I don't think my family would
sell this ranch. We like this way of life, and right now
we seem to be the keepers of the land."
Land Prices: Around here, if you have to ask
you probably can't afford any. The state legislature
decreed long ago that ranches could not be divided
into parcels smaller than 35 acres. In Eagle County,
parcels go from $500,000 to a couple of million.
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Public domain maps courtesy of The General Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin, modified by James D. Forrester or Eric Pierce to show counties. Released under GFDL. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.
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