The plight of El Rancho hangs in the balance of being preserved or destroyed. To those who treasure El Rancho’s history and heritage, its legacy and beloved building are worth preserving.
Barbara and Eugene Sternberg’s book, “Evergreen: Our Mountain Community,” reveals, “John Jahnke, with his two sons, purchased 35 acres that included the Front Range Café and a trading post in the late 1940s. Building El Rancho united three families. Their top floor living quarters included 11 bedrooms. As the blended Jahnke families grew and left to create lives of their own, the senior Jahnkes transitioned the upper level into a hotel.”
“In those days, El Rancho also had a coffee shop in addition to the lounge and restaurant.”
Ninety-one-year-old Conrad “Butch” Clark, son of Leona and Addison Rozwell “Rozzi” Clark Sr., who established ESCO Construction company in 1944, shares, “Ray and Mildred Zipprich bought El Rancho in the early 1950s from the Jahnkes. As I recall, the building was bare-bones. Ray contracted with ESCO to do an entire remodel. I was barely old enough to drive, yet was tasked to drive to Denver to pick up and deliver daily supplies.
“Ray wanted the bar to look like a blacksmith shop, so we created a fire pit in the center of the bar that was appropriately named The Forge. My dad used a pattern maker to create an anvil that was 16 inches long, 18 inches high, and 10 inches wide. We cast the anvil in aluminum so it was lightweight, and its purpose was to hold drinks. Dad also cast holes into the anvil that served as cigarette holders.
“Ray Zipprich was quite a character,” chortles Butch. “He previously owned a pie-distribution company in Milwaukee and prided himself in the baked goods El Rancho created. He also owned Rosedale Ranch on Upper Bear Creek Road that we also remodeled. Ray’s son-in-law, Paul McEncroe, was also a visionary. When I-70 was being created, Paul envisioned an El Rancho exit and persuaded the federal government, who was overseeing the highway project, to create the still existing El Rancho exit. Paul added a visitor information center and a contract postal station where tourists and locals could purchase stamps, mail letters and packages, and enlarged the parking lot for buses.”
Evergreen’s iconic Ross Grimes added a gift store to El Rancho that replicated the original Evergreen Crafters he established over 60 years ago. Both locations offered unique souvenirs, Native American jewelry, Colorado art, and more. “It was a sad day when the gift store was removed and El Rancho transitioned into a brewery,” laments a longtime anonymous Evergreen resident. “Locals dashed into the gift shop for a gift, and other locals hosted special events in their basement for decades.”
Fourth generation Evergreen native Suzie DeDisse recalls, “As a kid, I clearly remember when Ray and Mildred Zipprich bought El Rancho in 1954. I often went to their Rosedale Ranch to play with their daughter, Rae. El Rancho’s wonderful cinnamon rolls were made famous by Martin Grabrian who moved to Evergreen in 1941 and served as superintendent of schools and principal of Evergreen High School from 1945 to 1951.
“Donna married Paul McEncroe, and when her parents, Ray and Mildred, retired, Donna and Paul managed El Rancho. Their four children, John, Andy, Linda and Annie worked alongside their parents. I also worked at El Rancho when I was a teenager. The gift store on the first floor was very popular for locals and tourists alike, and Donna also had a gift store on the second floor called My Shop. She sold artifacts she purchased on numerous buying trips she made to Mexico. I will never forget going with Donna on a few of her buying trips. It was quite an adventure. Donna loved everything about El Rancho, including hosting weddings and numerous community events that were held in the basement for decades,” Suzie shares.
Third generation Evergreenite John Ellis has ties to El Rancho from its earliest days: “My dad worked for John Jahnkes as his head waiter and my mom was the main hostess. At age 12, I worked at El Rancho as the water boy. I was also tasked to split the firewood and ensure the fireplaces in the dining room and lounge remained stoked. In those days, El Rancho also had a coffee shop in addition to the lounge and restaurant. The coffee shop served their famous miniature cinnamon rolls, and strawberry, chocolate and lemon chiffon pies. Ray Zipprich and his son-in-law, Paul McEncroe, loved meeting in the coffee shop to do their planning, and they always sat in the same booth, so they had that booth designated with a plaque. The bakery was on the second floor, and the bus boys were tasked to carry desserts from the second floor bakery
to the first floor kitchen. Trepidatiously, we balanced the long and heavy dessert trays down the steep staircase. If any of the desserts were left at the end of the evening, we bus boys gobbled them down. Guest rooms also remained on the second floor until the 1980s, which came in handy for lower elevation patrons who weren’t aware you get drunk quicker at higher elevations. Turnaround to clean tables was fast and furious, since every table rotated up to four sets of diners every night.
“Al Fike’s Jazz Club was downstairs, and Al was an amazing piano player. Diners enjoyed a few drinks in the lounge, then, after eating a great dinner, they went downstairs and enjoyed music and dancing. Paul McEncroe defined entrepreneur. Not only was El Rancho a popular destination for dining, drinking, great entertainment and shopping, Paul also had the foresight to build a liquor store, gas station, and smaller bar/burger joint, known as the Observatory, across the street from El Rancho, which his sons, John and Andy, managed,” John explains.
Mike and Sue Goldblatt married at El Rancho on February 8, 1992. Mike shares, “Judge Roy Olson married Sue and me on that very cold February day in front of El Rancho’s basement fireplace, before a few family members and friends. Our reception was a big party that took place upstairs with many more invited, and perhaps a few people who were dining at El Rancho joined in on our celebration.
“El Rancho is an Evergreen historic landmark,” claims Mike, who started and recently sold Lam Tree Services and now serves as Director of Operations for Always Choose Adventures. “It bears repeating how special it was to celebrate Mother’s Day at El Rancho. Their food was the bomb, the atmosphere was always welcoming, and El Rancho’s Mother’s Day buffet remains unforgettable.”
Pete Anderson, whose Evergreen roots go back four generations, reveals, “My parents always took my brother, three sisters and me to El Rancho. It was a great staple for the community and contains treasured memories for many. I graduated from Evergreen High School in 1976, and our class celebrated our 40th reunion at El Rancho in 2016. We were hoping to celebrate our 50th reunion at El Rancho in 2026.”
Build it and they will come was more than a myth throughout El Rancho’s early history. When the McEncroes sold El Rancho to Skip Rousch in 1988, they were making $2.2 million in annual sales.
Evergreen longtimers and newcomers are uniting to save El Rancho, envisioning a community/event center, fun shops throughout, a quaint area for dining, and a much-needed visitor center. El Rancho’s welcoming presence contributes to Evergreen’s identity and cultural heritage, and serves as a historical record that future generations, along with our past generations, will always cherish.
If you would like more information on how to help preserve El Rancho, visit save-el-rancho-campaign.com
