Estate includes 510,000 acres.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Measuring more than 510,000 continuous acres, or 796 square miles, the W.T. Waggoner Estate in North Texas is the largest ranch in the United States, sprawling over an expanse of land larger than New York City. On Tuesday the Houston Chronicle reported the gargantuan stretch of land is up for sale with realtors hoping it will fetch $725 million when all is said and done.
The estate includes the 510,000-acre ranch spread over six counties, with two main compounds, hundreds of homes, about 20 cowboy camps, hundreds of quarter-horses, thousands of heads of cattle, and 30,000 acres of cultivated land, Dallas-based broker Bernie Euechtritz — who is handling the sale along with broker Sam Middleton of Lubbock — told the Daily Mail. Furthermore, oil was discovered on the property circa 1902 and it now houses more than a thousand wells.
The ranch is situated about 175 miles northwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro-region and 12 miles south of Vernon, the county seat of Wilbarger County. Wichita Falls is about 20 miles east of the ranch’s eastern boundary, according to the sales brochure. It also states the ranch’s backwards “D” brand has been used continuously since 1849, making it one of the oldest brands in Texas.
Interest has been “overwhelming” ever since the property was listed in August 2014, Uechtritz told the Houston Chronicle.
“We’ve had over 500 inquiries from all around the world,” he continued. “We are showing the ranch to national and international and Texas-based prospects on a weekly basis. A number of buyers are conducting due diligence, evaluating the property.”
According to The Chronicle, noted sculptor and socialite Electra Waggoner Biggs resided in the property’s Santa Rosa compound. Her sculptures included Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, and humorist Will Rogers.