HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
An 1860 pioneer homestead along the St. Vrain River where Longmont's former mayor was brutally killed in 1905 — and where investigators later documented temperature changes and flickering lights
9809 Ute Hwy, Longmont, CO 80503
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
City of Longmont park; free general access; special event fees may apply
Access
Limited Access
River bottom terrain; uneven ground around historic ranch structures
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1860 · Early Colorado Territory homestead · Coffin family civic legacy · Boulder County pioneer settlement
Sandstone Ranch was established along the St. Vrain River in 1860, making it one of the earliest Anglo-American homesteads in what would become Boulder County. Morse Coffin and his brother George built the initial structures and began farming the bottomland, arriving during the first wave of permanent settlement in the Colorado Territory.
George Coffin's civic career set him apart from most of his contemporaries. He served as treasurer of Weld County and later as mayor of Longmont, building a reputation as one of the region's more prominent public figures. In 1905, at a point when the ranch and the community he had helped build were well established, George Coffin was killed by an unknown assailant. The attack was described as brutal in contemporary accounts; the perpetrator was never identified.
The ranch passed through subsequent ownership and eventually became a city-managed historic property. The Longmont Museum has administered the site and programmed historical events there. The Coffin family's role in early Boulder County settlement is documented in regional histories and in the Wikipedia entry for Sandstone Ranch, which identifies the property's historical significance within the context of Colorado's pioneer era.
Sources
The Boulder County Paranormal Research Society conducted a ghost-hunting event at Sandstone Ranch in 2014. Investigators documented room temperature fluctuations, equipment failures, flickering lights, and what they described as possible spirit sightings during the event. The Longmont Leader reported on the findings, connecting the paranormal activity to the site's most dramatic historical event: the unsolved murder of George Coffin in 1905.
Coffin's killing has remained the organizing narrative of the ranch's haunted reputation. An unsolved violent death tied to a former mayor creates the kind of unresolved historical wound that generates persistent paranormal association. The Longmont Leader's coverage frames the investigation findings specifically in relation to Coffin's murder and its lack of resolution.
Richard Estep's Haunted Longmont covers the ranch, extending the documentation beyond local news into the regional paranormal literature. The combination of a verified historical murder, an unnamed perpetrator, and a formally documented investigation places Sandstone Ranch among the better-supported haunted sites in the Longmont corridor.
Notable Entities
The Boulder County Paranormal Research Society documented a 2014 ghost-hunting event at Sandstone Ranch that produced room temperature changes, equipment failures, flickering lights, and possible spirit sightings. The City of Longmont Museum programs occasional events at the property. Check the museum website for current offerings.
Sandstone Ranch is a City of Longmont historic property along the St. Vrain River. The grounds include the original 1860s ranch structures associated with the Coffin family. Open to public visitors during park hours.
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