De Beque Stockyard, De Beque, Colorado De Beque Mesa Colorado USA According to rancher James “Jim” Rogers, whose family ranched near Mesa and drove cattle to De Beque via the Sunnyside Road to be transported by train, the slaughterhouses were, at first, on the north side of the Colorado River (then called the Grand River). Crossing the river was arduous for the cattle and the stockyards were later moved to the south side of the river. According to rancher Walter “Dick” Lloyd, who ranched during the early and mid-Twentieth century, the De Beque stockyard was often filled with cattle that were “stacked up for miles waiting to get in.” Ranchers lined their cattle along Roan Creek while they waited to bring them into the stockyard and load them onto cattle cars to be shipped by rail. The stock came from a wide-flung area: Piceance Creek, Plateau Valley, DeBeque, Cameo, and Roan Creek. Lloyd shipped his cattle from De Beque to Denver. yes yes