Dallas oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens is selling his beloved ranch in the Texas Panhandle for $250 million — or more than $3,800 per acre.
Mesa Vista Ranch, about 85 miles northeast of Amarillo, encompasses 64,809 acres, or more than 100 square miles. Pickens began assembling acreage for the ranch in 1971; today, the property stands as a prime example of land conservation and wildlife management, and beckons quail hunters from near and far.
By the way, Mesa Vista is undoubtedly enormous, but it doesn’t even rank among the 10 largest ranches in Texas. It is, however, one of the priciest ranches up for sale in the U.S.
In a post on LinkedIn, Pickens said he’s ready to put his ranch in someone else’s hands.
“Selling the ranch is the prudent thing for an 89-year-old man to do. It’s time to get my life and my affairs in order,” Pickens wrote. “There are many reasons why the time is right to sell the ranch now, not the least of them ensuring that what I truly believe is one of the most magnificent properties in the world winds up with an individual or entity that shares my conservation ethic.”
The ranch is, indeed, magnificent. Among its features are:
- About 25 miles of riverfront property
- A lake house with 12,000 square feet of living space, and 4,000 square feet of porches and patios
- A 33,000-square-foot lodge
- A 12,000-square-foot kennel with room for 50 dogs
- A family house with 6,000 square feet of living space, and about 2,500 square feet of porches and patios
- A three-bedroom “gate house"
- A small structure with a game room, sleeping area, and gym
- A more than 400-square-foot gun room
- Nearly 20 lakes
- More than 20,000 trees
- A private airport, including a two-bedroom apartment for pilots
- A library
- An art gallery
- A 30-seat media room
- A small golf course
- A stone-and-wood chapel
“Mesa Vista’s unique combination of a pristine prairie and world-class amenities have provided an unparalleled venue for some of the nation’s most influential political and business leaders to share their insights on matters critical to our times — national security, economic policy, political involvement, philanthropic investment, and energy issues,” Pickens wrote.
Aside from the ranch itself, the new owner will gain ranch and farming equipment, pickup trucks and other vehicles, home furnishings, and more than three dozen bird dogs. Excluded from the sale are Pickens’ personal belongings, livestock, and art collection, although the livestock (400 to 500 cows) and most of the artwork can be purchased separately.
Sam Middleton, a ranch broker at Chas. S. Middleton and Son, and Monte Lyons, a ranch broker at Hall and Hall, are marketing Mesa Vista. Much of the money from the sale of Mesa Vista will go to the T. Boone Pickens Foundation, according to Pickens.
Pickens wrote that Mesa Vista “has been a labor of love that has occupied the better part of my life. And I intend for a lot more good to come from the sale of the ranch.”
A painting by Frederic Remington hangs inside the house.
