The Beckwith Ranch, established in 1874 by brothers Elton and Edwin Beckwith, was at its peak one of the largest cattle operations in Colorado. Sons of a wealthy shipbuilder from Mount Desert Island, Maine, Elton and Edwin brought cattle from Texas in 1869 for the miners in Colorado with Charles Goodnight, one of the legendary founders of the western cattle industry.

In the 1870's Elton and Edwin began building a ranching empire. Elton married Elsie Chapin Davis in 1875, and in 1877 their daughter, Velma, was born. Their Victorian mansion was built during this time. Elton enjoyed a short political career, serving one term as a Colorado state senator. In addition to their ranch home, Elton and Elsie owned a home on Capitol Hill in Denver.

Beckwith died in June of 1907. After Elton's death, Mrs. Beckwith sold the property in the Wet Mountain Valley and moved to Denver, where she lived in the Brown Palace Hotel, until purchasing a home in the city. She lived there until her death in 1931. Elton, Elsie, and Edwin are all buried in the Ula Cemetery, located a few miles southwest of the ranch.