History of the Old Thompson Barn

In 1879, Myron Thompson and his son Alex were among the first settlers in the Crystal River Valley and the newly-incorporated Town of Carbondale. They established the Thompson Ranch at the confluence of the Crystal River and Thompson Creek.

Today, we know that homestead as the River Valley Ranch.

Several original buildings, that housed ranch hands a century ago remain prominent on the RVR landscape today. You can see some of these in the slideshow of historic images below. The old Thompson barn, which was originally located on the north side of RVR by #7 teebox, was painstakingly moved board by board to its present site in 1998. Gone are the hayracks and stalls.

Modern amenities have been brilliantly retrofitted into the barn with an understated subtlety.

Today, this handsome old barn serves as our office, the River Valley Ranch Sales Center, and it's also a focal point for community life at River Valley Ranch, and for nearby Carbondale as well.