The Sangre de Cristo Land Grant was established in 1844 under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
The Sangre de Cristo Land Grant was established in 1844 in connection with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo between the United States and Mexico, according to the Colorado Governor’s Office.
Coloradans in the San Luis Valley deserve a real seat at the table when it comes to decisions that shape our communities” Polis said in a statement. Salazar, meanwhie said, “I’ve spent my life in the San Luis Valley, and that’s why I know how much this land means to the people who have called it home for generations. I’m looking forward to working alongside the community to listen closely, ask the right questions, and help find a path forward that works for all parties,” he said.
The property has since become the centre of a long-running legal dispute involving heirs of the original land grant and the owners of the ranch. “We can and must do better than eternal litigation and conflict in our Colorado for all. This Executive Order is about creating an open dialogue, bringing together heirs of the original land grant, residents of the wider community and the property owner to find a path forward that improves quality of life in the valley.
The latest attempt to address the dispute came as Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed an executive order on Wednesday, naming former US Interior Secretary and Ambassador Ken Salazar as a special envoy.
The Cielo Vista Ranch/La Sierra dispute has been running for about 40 years, making it the longest-running legal dispute in Colorado, according to the Keystone Policy Center. The organisation became involved after the new landowner and land grant heirs agreed in December 2018 to pause litigation and try to work through their differences. In 2025, Polis signed HB 25-1023, a law providing local government oversight of large fencing projects on the Sangre de Cristo land grant.
Testimony from sheep owners Alonzo Lobato and Richard Kuhn said handlers needed to pass through the disputed area to reach Perdido Canyon, an important grazing area. Older sheep trails had become overgrown during the prolonged dispute, according to the ruling. Tenner said the privacy area sought by the owner should be accompanied by an extended road or path that would allow access-rights holders to reach the canyon without going directly through the home area.
The ruling examined how people tending sheep could reach grazing areas. The law requires consideration of the environmental effects of such projects.
A road built for the ranch owner’s house about five years earlier had become the only workable route to the canyon.
