The vision of today's Old Agency Ranch was by Bob Sharpe, a well known local rancher and conservationist. Bob’s love affair with the area started with a question to a good friend and business associate Bruce Heath whose family dates back to 1879 in Lake City. “When are you taking me to Colorado?” In August of 1979, he began a 34 year journey that would end with deep family roots having been established in the region. In the early 1990s, his initial land purchases were bought from the Helen Whinnery family along the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River north of Lake City and the Joe and Wilma Youmans Ranch in the Powderhorn Valley. It was there that he met Flynn Mangum and the Cadwell family of Cathedral. Together Bob, and Flynn as ranch manager, would produce results that brought significant recognition from the local community and saw the Sharpe family become respected for their innovative practices towards ranching, water and land conservation, stewardship of game populations, trout stream improvement and fly fishing. Bob was an outgoing man and it is no surprise that his path crossed with the late Fred Fields, long time local rancher and former Gunnison County Commissioner. This relationship led Bob to buy three ranches along the Los Pinos and Cochetopa Creeks including the historic Old Agency. He had a vision of working cattle ranches being more efficient with irrigation practices and thus increasing crop yields, while not damaging the trout streams. His family holdings would eventually involve nearly 22 miles of habitat improved trout stream, produce over 500 tons of hay annually while supporting 800 pairs of summer grazing cattle. For his innovative irrigation techniques, the National Resource Conservation Service awarded him their “Conservationist of the Year - 2010”.
