With the help of community volunteers, members of HistoriCorps, and the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources, a piece of northern Colorado history will be preserved for the public to enjoy for years to come.

A historic Larimer County horse barn located at Red Mountain Open Space will be undergoing a public restoration project this summer. The barn dates back several hundred years but human activity in Red Mountain Open Space traces back 12,000 years.

The rustic wooden barn at Red Mountain Open Space was used by ranchers and settlers in Northern Colorado between the 1870s and 1920. The tasks that will be completed on the structure include repairing, replacing, and repainting the deteriorated wood siding, replacing the trims, fixing some of the metal roof panels, as well as rehabilitating the windows and doors.

Volunteers are needed for June 5-10, June 12-17, June 19-24, and June 26 to July 1. Those working on the project have the opportunity to camp down the road from the site during the dates of their volunteer session. Tents are permitted and there will also be room for a few trucks or van campers in designated spaces. HistoriCorps also provides all meals, tools, training, and equipment to volunteers. However, people working on the project should still pack sleeping equipment, work gloves, clothes and boots, and other personal gear.

HistoriCorps has partnered with Larimer County multiple times over the years, helping with other restoration projects. In 2021, volunteers successfully rehabilitated a historic schoolhouse that's situated just up the road from the barn they will be working on this year. Both the barn and schoolhouse serve as important physical remnants of the area’s pioneer agricultural and ranching heritage.

Red Mountain Open Space is part of the Laramie Foothills Mountains to Plains conservation project that conserves more than 55,000 acres in Northern Colorado.

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