In 1915 Louis B. Sporleder Sr. traded land he owned for the 160-acre Santa Clara Ranch at the foot of the East Spanish Peak near Walsenburg. Louis was a “grower, buyer and seller of sheep, wool, cattle, swine, poultry, and all kinds of ranch products” and author of The Romance of the Spanish Peaks. Early on he advertised the ranch as a recreational retreat “of unsurpassed charm and beauty” and offered camp sites to the public for a small fee. Later visitors to the ranch could rent furnished cabins, hire saddle horses by the day or hour, and experience life on an authentic stock farm. Three cabins built around 1917 are still in use today and the 1920s farmhouse is undergoing restoration. Over time the Sporleder family acquired property in Mauricio Canyon and expanded the ranch to more than 2,000 acres. Today the ranch encompasses approximately 1,600 acres. The area is rich with history; native rock art and numerous historical artifacts have been found on the ranch.