The Hanna Ranch: Online Educational Resource

The Hanna Family

Operating a ranch is difficult and requires a number of helping hands, so ranching families throughout history have traditionally been very large. The Hanna Ranch is no exception. When Clark Hanna moved to the Colorado Springs area from his father’s ranch in New Mexico in 1947, he and his wife Mary immediately set to work raising six children: Terry, Karen, Randy, Ginger, Steve, and Kirk. Following Clark’s death in 1957, Mary wed a local rancher named Jon Frost, who had three daughters of his own, and the two of them had son named Jay. It was Clark’s youngest son, Kirk, that eventually took over the ranch. He and his wife, Ann, had two daughters, Emily and Maggie. Today the ranch remains in the capable hands of the Hanna family, run by Ann and her daughter Maggie, along with a handful of hired workers.

Clark Hanna

Clark Hanna moved to the Colorado Springs area from his father’s ranch in New Mexico in 1947. 

On June 14, 1957 Clark Hanna and his daughter Randy were killed when their car was struck by a train on the Hanna Ranch property. Randy’s twin sister, Ginger, survived the crash with multiple broken bones and lacerations. Following the accident Clark’s father, Walter, sold his property in New Mexico and moved to Colorado to take over ranch operations and help the family recover from this tragic loss.

Mary Hana Frost

Following Clark’s death in 1957, Mary wed a local rancher named Jon Frost, who had three daughters of his own, and the two of them had son named Jay. Following Clark’s death in 1957, Mary wed a local rancher named Jon Frost, who had three daughters of his own, and the two of them had son named Jay. 

Kirk Hanna

Born in 1955, Kirk Hanna was less than two years old when he lost his father and older sister, Randy, in a car accident. He grew up in a loving home with a stepfather that he admired, however, along with his mother, three sisters, two brothers, and three step-sisters. With his older brother, Steve, set to take over the Hanna Ranch, and his younger brother Jay set to take over the Frost Ranch, Kirk moved to Denver to work as a commodities broker. After a falling out with the family, Steve left the ranch, leaving a place for Kirk to come in and take over. He married his wife, Ann, and raised two daughters in the years that followed. He won Colorado’s Riparian Steward of the Year award in 1994, and became president of the Colorado Cattleman’s Association in 1997.

Sadly, Just before Christmas Day in 1998 Kirk Hanna committed suicide on the Hanna Ranch property. He is remembered as a loving husband and father, a caring and compassionate community leader, an outspoken proponent of responsible land development, and a pioneer in holistic ranch management. In addition to being a hard-working rancher, Kirk was a skilled businessman who showed that responsible ranching practices could benefit both the land and the ranching community. Kirk is buried in a small cemetery adjacent to the ranch alongside other Fountain Valley ranching pioneers. 


 

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