Colorado Cattlemen's Association Celebrates 150 Years

Colorado Cattlemen's Association Celebrates 150 Years

A mere two years after the Civil War ended, and the year in which Little House on The Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 the Colorado Cattlemen's Association was established. The 150th year celebration of the organization happened last year during their annual convention in Grand Junction.

Colorado Cattlemen's Association Marketing and Communications Director Sarah Smith shares

Smith: "We're the oldest statewide association in the nation. We were founded nine years before Colorado became a state in a little house — called the Planter House — right downtown in Denver now off the corners of 15th and Blake. At the time, it didn't look anything like downtown now. We have a lot of fun pictures that members brought in from different generations. If you think about a 150 years ago and think what the world was like. It's just been really fun to commemorate that and then look towards the next 150 years as to what the association might look like and the state might look like."

Although much has changed, Smith says that many of the values and heritage of the CCA founders remain important today for the association

Smith: "Some things are still the same and I think that is why we are still around. First and foremost the purpose of the cattle industry is that they want to feed their families, their neighbors, the state. It is really family-focused — most of our members still have family-owned ranchers. It is multi-generation ranches. It focuses on family and the community and outreach to the state to share their products. They are still making sure that beef is on everybody's plate."

Tomorrow we will continue our conversation with Smith about last week's CCA Convention.

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