In 1982, Ralph Lauren bought land around a century-old Colorado barn; decades later it had grown into a 17,000-acre ranch and wildlife preserve

In 1982, Ralph Lauren came across an aging wooden barn beneath Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and immediately saw something others might have overlooked. The nearly century-old Vance barn stood on land outside Ridgway, surrounded by mountain scenery and open meadows. Lauren and his wife, Ricky, fell in love with the property and began building what would eventually become the Double RL Ranch. What started with a historic barn and a relatively modest piece of land grew over the following decades into a sprawling 17,000-acre landscape combining family life, cattle ranching, wildlife habitat and Lauren’s enduring fascination with the American West. In its own account of the property, Ralph Lauren describes the ranch as both a home and an expression of a longstanding Western dream.The century-old barn that started Ralph Lauren’s Colorado dreamThe story of the Double RL Ranch begins with the Vance barn, built in 1905 by Thomas Vance at the base of Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. According to Ralph Lauren’s account, the enormous structure was designed to shelter dairy cattle through severe mountain winters and was constructed from lumber hand-cut from nearby forests. The barn eventually became recognisable to a much wider audience after appearing in Marlboro television commercials. Lauren first encountered it in 1982, when he and Ricky were searching for land in the American West. The couple had considered properties in Utah and Wyoming, but the Colorado landscape surrounding the barn captured their imagination. Lauren later recalled that seeing the mountains and the old structure gave him an immediate sense that the property was special.From neglected property to a carefully preserved ranchWhen Lauren acquired the land, the historic barn was no longer in pristine condition. Ralph Lauren’s feature explains that its floor, porch and hayloft required extensive renovation. The restoration was eventually completed in 2000, while new family and guest buildings were positioned carefully around the landscape. Lauren has described his reluctance to build extensively on the property because he valued the appearance of undisturbed land. Instead, homes were placed in low, inconspicuous locations and partially hidden among trees. The approach reflected a broader philosophy: the buildings were meant to belong to the landscape rather than overwhelm it. Over time, the ranch developed into a distinctive combination of historic architecture, family spaces and open Colorado country, while retaining the character that attracted Lauren to the property in the first place.A 17,000-acre working cattle operationThe Double RL Ranch eventually expanded to roughly 17,000 acres and remained a genuine working cattle operation rather than simply becoming a private retreat. Ralph Lauren’s own published material describes the property as a world-renowned cattle ranch, while another Ralph Lauren feature notes that around 800 Angus and South Devon steers and heifers graze across the ranch. Cowboys move the cattle between pastures on horseback, maintaining a distinctly traditional approach to ranch life. The operation also has a direct connection to Lauren’s businesses: the ranch has supplied beef to Ralph Lauren restaurants in New York and Chicago. This combination of livestock, working cowboys and expansive pastureland gives the property an agricultural purpose alongside its role as the Lauren family’s Colorado home.Where cattle country meets a wildlife preserveThe ranch's significance extends beyond cattle. Ralph Lauren describes the 17,000-acre property as a place where eagles, elk and deer can remain undisturbed among piñon pines and wild sunflowers. That coexistence between ranching and wildlife is central to the character of the Double RL Ranch. Rather than treating the landscape simply as a backdrop for a luxury home, the property has retained large areas of open habitat alongside its agricultural operations. The result is an unusual landscape where cattle grazing, wildlife and the Lauren family’s connection to the American West exist together. The restored Vance barn, meanwhile, remains a physical reminder of the land’s history, linking the ranch today with the working agricultural property Lauren first encountered more than four decades ago.Catch the latest World News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.