March 13 made for a remarkable presentation by Beryl Jacobson, a volunteer historian for Douglas County, on the history of Sandstone Ranch at the Douglas County Libraries – Philip & Jerry Miller Library in Castle Rock.
That the County owns this 2,038-acre parcel is all the more astonishing considering its acquisition cost and beauty. Absent the efforts of Cheryl Matthews, former Douglas County Director of Open Spaces, this natural treasure would have remained private.
Integral to its history and development were four dynamic women. The first, Elizabeth Robinson, was a Missouri woman born in 1834 and widowed at 40. Indomitable, she headed west in a covered wagon with sons Schuyler and George. Using the Homestead Act, she found 160 acres to her liking near Perry Park, west of Larkspur. Her boys attended Glen Grove School, still standing today…