Since the 1930s the Wills family had owned and operated the Lake Cliff Dude Ranch near Creede, Colorado. In 1970 Will and Betty Wyatt, who have a lifelong history with Young Life, (Will was one of the first summer staff at Silver Cliff Ranch and Betty was Jim Rayburn's secretary!), bought the property. Bob Mitchell, former Young Life president, and his wife Claudia had come to visit the Wyatts in 1972. Bob and Will began dreaming about taking high school kids backpacking in the Colorado Rockies. At a time when John Denver was crooning "Rocky Mountain High" and Outward Bound was booming, why wasn't Young Life using this tool to preach the Good News of Jesus Christ? A year later in 1973 Young Life was using it and Wilderness Ranch was born. In 1978 the Wyatts sold the property to Young Life and the camp continues to draw kids closer to Jesus Christ in a wilderness setting.