Fort Lewis College-Old Fort at Hesperus

The Old Fort at Hesperus is the original site of Fort Lewis, Fort Lewis Indian School, Fort Lewis High School and Fort Lewis College, located 16 miles southwest of Durango and just south of Hesperus. The 6,318 acres are owned by the Colorado State Land Board and managed by Fort Lewis College. It is a working ranch that has 120 head of mother cows and 400 acres of hay production. The Old Fort at Hesperus is one of the few educational farms specializing in high-elevation desert farming training, these programs are uniquely positioned to support farmers wishing to work in arid mountain environments. Welcoming everyone from college interns for brief summer experiences to incubator farmers ready to start a business, the Old Fort offers good (and challenging) growing conditions, supportive staff, and diverse resources for high elevation market farming. We have a on-site Country Store with our vegetables and grass-fed beef along with local pork, lamb, honey, fremont beans, eggs and value added products including dehydrated meals, apple chips, CO Beef sticks and an assortment of lotions and soaps made by our friends and neighbors. It is open from dawn to dusk all year round.