The Baca Grande is a 14,000-acre subdivision situated just outside of the Town of Crestone in eastern Saguache County. It is under the jurisdiction of the Baca Grande Property Owners Association and therefore is a separate entity from the Town of Crestone. Baca residents, however, receive their mail at the Crestone Post Office and rely on Crestone businesses for amenities.

As a result of this close relationship, generic references to "Crestone" or the "Crestone Community" often include the Baca Grande as well as the Town of Crestone.

AZL Resources, Inc. established the Baca Grande Corporation in 1971 to develop the northeastern part of its 154,000 acre Baca Grant cattle ranch in southern Colorado near the small town of Crestone. This ranch, which was acquired by AZL in 1962, has a colorful past associated with cattle ranching, railroading and boom town gold mining.

For centuries the only humans were Ute and Comanche Indians who, along with the bear and mountain lion, came to hunt the land's abundant herds of deer, antelope and elk. Then, in the 16th century, came Spaniards searching for the legendary "Seven Cities of Gold." Following these explorations, the United States Government ratified in 1823 the award of five Spanish land grants, including the Baca Grant to the Luis Maria Cabeza de Baca family.

In the 18th century, the Spaniards had discovered and begun to mine gold on this land. Later, these mines were abandoned, but gold mining was resumed here in the 1870s, which resulted in the birth of several thriving communities. The largest of these mines, The Independence, is part of the Baca Grande.

Until recently, most of the original Baca Grant was still a working cattle ranch. But the remainder, 14,000 acres of the choicest land, had been set aside for the Baca Grande.

The Baca Grande, encompassing 14,000 acres, started development in 1971 as a planned community embodying a western ranch motif. The property is situated in the foothills directly abutting the Sangre de Cristo Range of the Rocky Mountains above the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado.

Most homesites have a direct view of the mountain range, including a panoramic view of up to four peaks over 14,000 feet in elevation. There are also miles of mountain trails and numerous mountain lakes, both on company-owned land and in the national lands adjoining the property.

The Baca Grande is directly adjacent to the Great Sand Dunes National Park to the south, a 36,000 acre natural wonder which attracts over 300,000 visitors annually, and by the 1.8 million acre Rio Grande National Forest to the north and east. Within several hours drive are a number of points of interest such as Mesa Verde National Park, Pike's Peak and the Pueblo and Navajo Indian countries. Additionally, the Baca Grande is less than 60 miles from the Monarch ski area and 95 miles from Wolf Creek ski area, which claims the highest snowfall in the nation.

The development is located about 180 miles southwest of Denver and 49 miles northeast of Alamosa, Colorado. Access is by State Highway 17 and County Road T (the Crestone Road), both of which are dual-lane, asphalt-paved highways. Air service is available from Denver to Alamosa via Great Lakes Airlines.

The Baca Grande is situated between 7,620 and 8,780 feet above sea level. Over one-third of its subdivided area is situated in the foothills with a coverage of dense pinion pine, aspen and cottonwood trees, and the balance in areas offering the more usual open topography of the western prairie. The property also has four streams, which divide it into five sections.

All of the land is currently platted and surveyed. The master plan calls for single-family dwellings. Of the 14,000 acres, approximately 28% of the total land or over 4,000 acres has been reserved for recreational area, including woods, natural parks, riding and hiking trails and 300 feet of greenbelt to either side of the four streams.

Community and other facilities are available, including a restaurant accommodating up to 75 persons, tennis courts, a library and stables facilities. Other amenities include a 9 hole golf course, a recreational vehicle park and a rifle range.

The property at the Baca Grande Development includes Chalet lots of one-half acre which are generally tree covered with areas of meadow, rolling land and sandy soil. The Grants lots are 1.5 to five acre lots, and the lots in the Mobile Home Estates (also known as Casita Park, about 4 miles west of Crestone on County Road T) range in size up to 7,000 square feet. All property is suitable for building conventional concrete slab, wood frame or custom dwellings. Many alternative building materials such as straw bales and Ener-grid (Rasta) are also used in housing construction in the Baca.

Today the Baca Grande is a place for many educational and spiritual group gatherings and conferences. Colorado College, The Spiritual Life Institute, Haidakandi Universal Ashram, Sri Aurobindo Learning Center, Shumei International Institute and many others are holding programs at the Baca.

We at Century 21 Valley Realty Crestone invite you to visit us and see what the Baca has to offer.

Electricity is provided by the SLV Rural Electric Cooperative (line availability must be verified by the REC at 1-800-332-7634).

Telephone service is provided by FairPoint Communications (800-503-0423).

Chalet I Lots 1-1497: ~$304.84

Chalet I Lots 1498-2348: ~$290.32

Chalet II and Chalet III: ~$275.80

Electricity is provided by the SLV Rural Electric Cooperative (line availability must be verified by the REC at 1-800-332-7634). Lines are currently installed in the northern and western portion of the Grants.

Telephone service is provided by FairPoint Communications (800-503-0423).

Electricity is provided by the SLV Rural Electric Cooperative (line availability must be verified by REC at 1-800-332-7634).

Telephone service is provided by FairPoint Communications (800-503-0423).

Annual Fees: 2008 dues are $285 per lot; fees support the maintenance of amenities such as the greenbelts, stables, parks, emergency medical team, volunteer fire department, maintenance shop and the library.

For new accounts, there is a security deposit. The security deposit may be waived pending an acceptable credit check. Call the SLVREC with your social security number and former address for the credit check. Additional fees may be applicable; please contact SLVREC.

FairPoint Communications
P.O. Box 70994
Charlotte, NC 28272-0994
Website: www.fairpoint.com

For vacant lots, there is an annual water availability fee of $40.00 for all lots that have water and sewer within 100 feet of the lot. There is also a $21 system improvement fee and a $9.00 hydrant fee for all lots served by the Water and Sanitation District.

Water and sewer hook-up is available to most lots in the Chalet regions. A list of the lots with water and sewer coverage is available through the District. If lines have not been run to a specific lot, the costs to bring in utilities will be paid by the property owner.

The tap fee to tap into the main water and sewer line is now $7,500 but is transferred with the sale of the lot if the current owner has paid the fee. The paid tap fee is also transferred on all lots acquired by treasurer's deed if the deed was recorded prior to August 1994.

At the time of construction, the lot owner will be assessed a fee to offset the cost of materials used for the tap. (To determine the material costs, the Water District can be reached directly at 719-256-4310.) For houses, a minimum fee of $42 per month for water usage and sewage treatment is then charged. Water usage above 4,000 gallons is charged at $1.50 per 1,000 gallons. There is also an annual $21 system improvement fee and a $9.00 hydrant fee for all houses.