Turk Rutherford from Baca County Book

The next selection form the Baca County Book, and I think the last. Turk Rutherford was the most successful of the family financially. I remember the end of one summer, dad (Royal) came home from working the summer on Turk's ranch suffering with a broken rib from being kicked by a horse. Dad brought home an indian who spent a week or two with us and he was fascinating. The indian had 3 one hundred dollar bills in his wallet (something I had never seen) and bought us matches and all kinds of things we shouldn't have had.

Rollins Lipscomb (Turk) Rutherford, third son of James and Annie Rutherford, was born near Klondike, Oklahoma, April 24, 1899. He came to Baca County with his mother, brothers and sisters in 1910. He grew up on a farm near Vilas, working in Vilas for C. F. Wheeler until he started farming for himself. He married Elizabeth Thorp and they made their home in a little rock house 2 ½ miles northeast of Vilas. Turk farmed and raised cattle in various parts of Baca County.

His first wheat crop was 500 acres but later he farmed thousands of acres. He constructed a lake near the center of his ranch holdings on Horse Creek south of Two Buttes. This was used for irrigation and as a game preserve. Many thousands of geese wintered on this lake where they could depend on plentiful food supply from the loads of grain which he distributed on the ground near the lake. This became known as Goose Haven and hunters came from all over Colorado and many other states to try their luck there.

Although Turk spent most of his time on his ranch, he had built a home in Springfield and lived there until the time of his death, April 16, 1976.

Turk left an estate amounting to millions of dollars. Just as he had helped many people in the county by furnishing employment and by paying hospital bills for those who could not afford treatment, he continued to help. He gave each hospital in the county a gift of $50,000 while he was still living, and his estate he left in trust to be used for hospitals and for helping young people of Baca County attend college.

After Turk's death, Elizabeth continued to live in Springfield until her death, two months later.

By Ronald Rutherford