(9-10-26) The Branson, Colorado football field, its story is remarkable. The 2020 census showed that Branson had just 57 residents.
Branson Undivided High School Football Field began as a rough former baseball field. In 2014, Superintendent Brad Caldwell and several students essentially built the original football field themselves. They spent more than 100 hours removing rocks, cactus and thistles and preparing the ground.
How it became the “Field of Dreams”
- 2016: Branson began its six-man varsity football program and used the rough field, later named Caldwell Field.
- The field eventually became so rough—with rocks, gopher holes, dirt and cactus—that opposing schools refused to play there.
- Growing natural grass wasn’t practical because Branson’s water supply couldn’t provide the roughly 60,000 gallons per day needed for a football field.
- In 2021, the community launched the C.L.A.W. Project to raise money for artificial turf.
- More than $500,000 was raised from thousands of donors.
- Construction involved cutting about 8 inches into the existing rangeland, compacting the soil, establishing a 1% slope, installing drainage and bringing in crushed rock. 64 truckloads of rock were hauled from a quarry near Cañon City.
- The synthetic turf was completed in early August 2021.
- The new field officially opened on September 11, 2021, with Branson defeating Deer Trail 72–14.
The completed project cost about $535,000 and transformed what had been described as one of the country’s worst high-school football fields into a premier small-school six-man football facilit
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A football field of dreams
CBS Sunday MorningSep 19, 2021 The tiny town of Branson, Colorado, was proud of its football team, but what many found offensive was their football field, dubbed the worst in America. So, the players and students threw a “Hail Mary” pass to raise funds for a field without gopher holes and grass as sharp as cactus. Correspondent Steve Hartman reports on how Branson’s Bearcats found themselves back in the game.
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Travel with a WiseguyBranson, Colorado — Caldwell Field construction timeline
Before 2021: The original field
Branson’s football field was essentially a piece of high-desert rangeland. The school had revived its six-man football program in 2016, and the team played on what became known as Caldwell Field, named for former superintendent and coach Brad Caldwell.
The surface was extremely rough—rocks, ruts, gopher holes, cactus and hard-packed soil. Players and coaches maintained it themselves, including filling holes before games. Eventually, opponents in the six-man league said they would no longer play there because of safety concerns.
January 2021 — The C.L.A.W. Project begins
Athletic Director Brad Doherty launched the Bearcat Football C.L.A.W. Project—the campaign to replace the old field with artificial turf and create a broader community athletic facility.
The school district’s original project timetable called for:
- Jan. 1: Fundraising launch
- Jan. 18: Initial school-board approval and district funding commitment
- Jan. 19: Grant and foundation applications begin
- Feb. 15: Final school-board approval
- Feb. 16: Grant applications submitted
- Feb. 22: Turf-installation contract
- March–April: Field construction
- May/June: Original target for field completion
The project was initially envisioned as more than football: a turf field, walking path, pavilion, scoreboard, announcer’s box and other community facilities.
Where the money came from
The fundraising campaign ultimately brought in approximately $535,000–$552,000, depending on whether the source is counting the entire project or later donations. More than 4,200 individual donors contributed, with an average contribution of about $27.
Major contributions included:
- Daniels Fund — $75,000 grant
- El Pomar Foundation — $20,000
- Braly Family Foundation — $25,000 plus a matching grant
- Private donor from New York — $50,000
- Branson School District contribution
- Contributions from Branson families and local residents
- Numerous smaller donations from around the United States
- Donations from overseas, including Australia and the United Kingdom
- Significant in-kind donations, including equipment, labor and materials.
The original fundraising plan envisioned dividing the financing roughly into thirds: the school/community, grants and foundations, and major private/corporate donors.
April 7, 2021 — Groundbreaking
The community officially broke ground on April 7, 2021.
The project was initially expected to take about two months. The actual construction proved considerably more difficult because of unusually wet weather.
Construction — Rocky Mountain Turf Solutions
The main turf contractor was Rocky Mountain Turf Solutions, based in Pueblo.
The company was led on the project by co-owner Kent Hartman. His crew normally expected the work to take about eight weeks, but repeated rain and snow caused the crew to stop and restart roughly six times.
The weather ultimately nearly doubled the construction schedule, pushing completion into August.
What actually had to be done
This wasn’t simply a matter of rolling artificial turf over the old field.
The crew:
- Cut approximately 8 inches into the existing rangeland.
- Reconditioned and compacted the soil.
- Established a 1% west-to-east slope.
- Installed a drainage system.
- Brought in large quantities of crushed rock.
- Leveled the new base.
- Installed the synthetic turf.
- Added the field markings and end zones.
- Installed the scoreboard and other facility components.
The rock came from a quarry near Cañon City, requiring approximately 64 truckloads. Each trip was roughly a five-hour round trip.
Wind created another problem because blowing dust interfered with the laser equipment used to precisely level the field.
The students helped build their own field
This is one of the best parts of the story.
When the turf crew was temporarily called away to another project, five Branson senior football players helped lay the first panels of synthetic turf.
Among those specifically identified were:
- Fernando Gonzalez
- Brody Doherty
- Isaac Provost
- Peyton Cranston
- Chris Larson
Gonzalez’s involvement went even further. He worked on the project for about three months, and Rocky Mountain Turf Solutions offered him a full-time job after graduation. His stepfather, Carlos Duran, also obtained full-time employment with the company during the installation.
Gonzalez later described the experience as building a field for the teams that would come after him—a particularly fitting connection between the students and the facility.
Other community volunteers
The construction wasn’t limited to the professional turf crew.
Andy and Molly Castillo, whose grandsons played for the school, donated the press-box structure and goalposts. Andy Castillo was also involved in welding a handrail on the press-box stairs shortly before the opening game.
Rob Pickard, a Branson cattleman who also taught shop at the school, handled much of the surrounding dirt work.
The Doherty family was deeply involved as well. Athletic Director Brad Doherty and his son Brody, the starting quarterback, were among the volunteers doing last-minute work—including installing the bracket for the field’s Wi-Fi system.
Early August 2021 — Field completed
After months of weather delays and construction challenges, the playing field was finally completed during the first week of August 2021.
The first phase included the synthetic field, scoreboard and press box. Later phases were intended to add the walking path and pavilion.
September 11, 2021 — Opening day
The finished Caldwell Field officially opened on September 11, 2021.
The event became an enormous community celebration. About 400 people attended in a town with only about 57 residents according to the 2020 Census. People watched from pickup beds, blankets and lawn chairs around the field.
The Bearcats opened the new field against Deer Trail, winning 72–14.
Afterward, the community held a barbecue/concert celebration.
The people who made it happen
The project really came down to several groups working together:
Brad Doherty — Athletic director and principal driving force behind the fundraising campaign.
Brad Caldwell — Former superintendent and coach, whose name remains attached to Caldwell Field and who returned from retirement to help lead the district.
Charlie Forster — A crucial early adviser who helped Doherty develop the fundraising strategy and grant roadmap. Forster, a former El Pomar board member and grandfather of two Branson players, died before the field was completed.
Kent Hartman and Rocky Mountain Turf Solutions — Professional construction and turf installation.
Branson football players — Particularly the seniors who physically helped install turf panels.
Andy and Molly Castillo — Donated the press box and goalposts.
Rob Pickard — Local teacher/cattleman who worked on the dirt work.
Thousands of donors and volunteers — Turned a tiny school’s seemingly impossible fundraising goal into reality.
The remarkable bottom line
What started in January 2021 as an attempt to save Branson football became a roughly $535,000 community project completed in about eight months. The old field was a dangerous patch of high-desert rangeland; by September, Branson had a professionally constructed synthetic-turf facility.
And unlike many new athletic facilities, some of the players who would actually play on the field helped build it.
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