Thanks for linking to the Waterfall Ranch history page.
You’ll find a lot here, beginning with the history of the land from a geologic perspective. You’ll find gobs of information and stories about the ancestors whose offspring would eventually make the Waterfall Ranch their home. That includes the Zinks, the Dickersons, the Nelsons, the Egglestons, and many others. (For easy reference, it might help to consult the family tree. And for a graphic look at the families’ movement westward, check out this map. For a quick look at key events, see the timeline.)
And once they settled in the Animas Valley, on the ranch underneath the beautiful waterfall, how did they survive? What troubles befell them? What victories did they claim? How did the Zink clan remain and thrive at Waterfall Ranch for a century?
To make it easy for you to navigate this site, we’ve organized the stories into eight chapters. Find the person, the incident or the era you want to read about, click, and enjoy the photo-illustrated text. You’ll be entertained, and, whether you’re a Zink or longtime resident or even a newcomer to Southwest Colorado, you may just learn something about where you’re living. And where you came from …
Chapter I
Geologic times: The deep, deep history of how the land formed
The Geologic history, by Jerry Zink
Chapter II
pre-1917: Waterfall Ranch, those who came before – the Utes and then the white settlers
The long reign of the Native Americans
Waterfall Ranch early settlers
Aftermath of the shootout, and new ranch owners
Chapter III
Zink and Nelson family histories up to 1917: their paths to Waterfall Ranch
Zink geneography: a chart showing four family lines, and their westward movement
The Mayflower, a rough winter
The Zink line, from Gottlieb to James W.
Sarah Jane Grant Britton Zink, cousin of Ulysses, survivor
Albert Dickerson, Civil War vet, farmer, early Nebraska settler (Ida May’s father)
Anna Dickerson, ‘Shot in peculiar manner’
The Nelsons: Swedish pipeline to Colorado
The Egglestons: Erie Canal to Thousand Islands to Oak Dell
Family tree, goes back five generations
Chapter IV
1917-1938: The days of John J. and Ida Zink; John W. meets Ruby
John James Zink‘s life from birth to the Animas Valley
May 31, 1917, an $18,000 purchase
John W. Zink pokes his head up
E. Ruby Nelson and the Sunnyside of life
Chapter V
1938-1944: John W. courts Ruby; John J. leaves the picture; World War’s effects
A love story, and Waterfall Ranch changes hands
Chart: John J. and Ida’s children
Chapter VI
1944-1963: John W. and Ruby take over, new kids come into the picture
Return from the Northwest – a growing ranch and family
Potatoes. It’s all about the spuds
Valley Voices – the Billings family, and others
Chapter VII
1964-2006: Challenges of running ranch/farm in a new era, Ed takes greater role
Mechanization brings a new paradigm to Waterfall Ranch
The bike shop, the outfitting business, and new tenants at Waterfall Ranch
Chapter VIII
2006-present: Using lessons from the past
Animas River Wetlands, Tiwa Farms, Sunnyside Meats
An ode to the waterfall itself, by Anne Zink Putnam
Extras
A History of the Waterfall Ranch, by Howard Zink
Ruth Zink Duncan’s family history, by Ruth Zink Duncan
The Oak Dell story, by Esther Eggleston
Howard’s ode to Brother John, by Howard Zink
A tribute to Aunt Zelma, by Anne Zink Putnam
Nelson-Zink wedding story, Durango Herald
Rainbow Springs, and the fish business, by Anne Zink Putnam
- History prepared by JOHN PEEL – LIFE PRESERVER