Rowley Homestead Goat Barn

Fred milked and stabled his goats in the Goat Barn. It is the smallest of the three barns, since goats are small and likely spent most of their time in the fields. Inside the barn is a hay trough for the goats and a stanchion for milking. Goat milk was one of Fred’s sources of income—either as a bartered or sold product. He would sell or barter his animal products with neighbors or in the nearby towns of Tabernash, Fraser, or Granby.

The goat barn is the smallest of the connected barns Fred built after the cabin. To the right of the doorway is a small ramp and stanchion that Fred built to help milk his goats. To milk a goat, he had to bend down close to the ground which can become uncomfortable— especially when milking several goats. To remedy this problem, Fred built a ramp for his goats. The animals walked up the ramp, stuck their heads through the wooden slats, and had to stand still on top of the ramp (with plenty of hay to eat). This way, Fred could stand next to the ramp instead of bending down and kneeling in the mud. These milking tables are still in use today.

Goat milk was important in this area during the early twentieth century. Dr. Susie Anderson, a well-known general practice doctor in Fraser, served the residents of several nearby towns. She traveled to Fraser in 1909 to help her tuberculosis symptoms, and she quickly became an important figure for local families, laborers, and homesteaders. Dr. Anderson, popularly known as Doc Susie, noticed that many children in the mountain area were undernourished. She determined this was partially because farmers only served their children skim milk. Skim milk is a by-product after farmers separate cream from whole milk, and because it has no cream, skim milk does not have the fat and nutrients that children need to grow. Farmers sold or bartered their cream to neighbors or in the towns, but needed to make sure their children were healthy too. Therefore, Dr. Anderson prescribed goat milk. When children drank goat milk instead of skim milk, they were significantly healthier and stronger. Demand for goat milk in the area increased, which helped farmers with goats, like Fred, make more money.

Goats were also important to farming. They ate almost everything and helped farmers clear areas of unwanted plants for planting new crops, or clearing out old crops. Fred may have used them to clear land after he cut down the trees. We don’t know how many goats Fred had, but he had enough to create a separate milking barn. Goats, along with pigs, chickens, cows, and horses were important to his survival.

Cornell, Virginia. Doc Susie: The True Story of a Country Physician in the Colorado Rockies. Carpentiria, California. Manifest Publications, 1991.

Archives of YMCA of the Rockies, Snow Mountain Ranch Collection, Rowley Homestead folders.