Great American

Property The Great American Ranch consists of 10,544 acres creating an exclusive, private wilderness located just minutes from Telluride Colorado. The Great American Ranch was once primarily owned by Marie Scott, the ranch queen of Western Colorado. Among her other holdings was a large portion of Ralph Lauren’s expansive Double RL Ranch near Ridgway, Colorado. Encompassing most of Beaver Mesa in San Miguel County, Colorado, the Great American Ranch, is nearly surrounded by some 5,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management Land. This “buffer zone” which includes the steep 1,000-foot walls of the San Miguel Canyon to the east and Beaver Creek Canyon to the west enhances the privacy and solitude of the ranch. In addition this “buffer zone” terrain is virtually inaccessible to the public, yet is prime habitat for the large numbers and varieties of wildlife found on the ranch. Nearly every acre of the private land is useable and there are no public or private accesses across any portion of the ranch. Location & Access The ranch combines extreme privacy with excellent accessibility. There are three private access roads to the ranch. The main entry is from Specie Mesa Road, which branches from Colorado Highway 62. This county road has year round maintenance and the ranch is part of a road users association which shares in the cost of winter snow removal. The second access, by special use permit from the BLM, accesses the north end of the ranch directly from Hwy. 145. A third access to the southwest corner of the ranch from Specie Mesa Road appears to be a prescriptive right. Telluride and the ski area are only 24 miles to the southeast, Norwood is 15 miles to the northwest and Ridgway, the setting for John Wayne’s “True Grit” movie, is only 28 miles to the east. Commercial air services are available at Telluride, Montrose and Grand Junction Colorado. Terrain & Vegetation Elevations on the ranch vary from approximately 7,800 to 9,000 feet. The geographical features and vegetation are about as varied as Western Colorado itself. The ranch is a beautiful balance of heavily timbered ridges and canyons at the north end where Ponderosa and Pinion Pines, Douglas Fir, Blue Spruce and Juniper cover a large part of the land. As one progresses from north to south through the draws filled with Aspen and Gamble Oak and finally out to the big meadows, the views open up to mountain peaks in almost every direction – snow capped much of the year. Ranges and peaks visible include the Sneffels, Wilson’s, Dolores, Eldente, Little Cone, Lone Cone, Cimarron’s and the La Salles in Utah. Ranch Improvements Since the ranch has been utilized primarily for summer grazing, the improvements are limited . The “Taylor Camp” has a nice log cabin complete with electricity and water from a nearby spring. The current owner added a 4,000-foot grass airstrip and the terrain would allow for extending it further. Wildlife The ranch and surrounding BLM land is home to large numbers of Rocky Mountain Elk and Mule Deer. Many other species inhabit the ranch including Black Bear, Mountain Lion, Coyote, Bobcat, Ringtail Fox, Rabbits, Marmot, Squirrels, Weasel, Blue Grouse, Sage Grouse, Turkey and other small game and song birds. Recreation Opportunities Located in the heart of America’s greatest outdoor recreation areas, the ranch provides, or has access to about every outdoor sport. The Telluride Ski Area, ranked as one of the best in the nation, is only a 30-minute drive. Excellent fishing is available at several locations on the ranch and in many nearby streams and lakes. Big game hunting on the ranch is unexcelled according to many reports. Cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, hiking– it’s all there. Without question the ranch has great commercial recreational opportunity if a purchaser so desired. Water & Water Rights Records show in excess of 19 cubic feet per second of adjudicated irrigation water from Saltado Creek, in addition to other storage and flow rights. A complete list of all water rights is available. Currently there are some 100 water features on the ranch. These include some 60 ponds, flowing streams, many springs, wildlife marshes and elk wallows. The sixty ponds vary in size from the nearly 8 acre Point Reservoir to small stock-water facilities. Several of the ponds and at least two of the streams are fishable. Fishable streams, Saltado Creek and Turner Creek, flow through portions of the property. The San Miguel River and Beaver Creek, both excellent fishing, are on the BLM land abutting the ranch. The current owner has done a large amount of water development but many possibilities exist for additional ponds and other water feature enhancement. A comprehensive water development plan has been done and is available to a new purchaser. Surveys - Boundaries The ranch is completely surveyed with all corner pins in place. Approximately 16 miles of the ranch border is common with the Bureau of Land Management. This adjoining land is very steep and provides a natural buffer zone for the ranch. Because of this terrain only a small part of the boundary is fenced allowing for lower maintenance costs and less restriction to the flow of wildlife. Along the boundary common with other private landowners most fence lines are agreed to as boundaries and surveyed as such. Title Insurance Title insurance will be provided to the Buyer. All Sellers interest in the land and mineral rights are included with the sale. The title work is up to date and a commitment can be provided at the time of contract. The encumbrances to title are very limited. Electric transmission lines cross the property and the power companies have some maintenance rights. The title reflects no other easements for the benefit of anyone else to or across the property and the owner is not aware that any exist which are not of record. Utilities ELECTRICITY: One area of the ranch is currently served with power and it is available from at least two other locations according to San Miguel Power Company. A complete report is available. PHONE: Hard wire phone service is not utilized on the ranch but is available at the ranch boundary adjoining the county road. Cellular reception is good in many areas of the ranch. WATER: No domestic water is currently used on the ranch except for the Taylor Camp cabin. Domestic use could come from drilled wells or developed springs. There is a state permitting process for doing so. GAS: Propane gas delivery service is available from several sources. SEWAGE: Septic System Current Use/Property Tax The property continues to be used, as it has been for many years, for livestock grazing and big game hunting. For tax purposes, it is assesses as agriculture/forestry. Property taxes for 1997 were $4,720.21. The ranch is leased on an annual basis to a neighboring rancher who grazes cattle during the summer months and to a licensed outfitter who guides Elk and Deer hunts in the fall. Future Possibilities To describe the possible uses of this most unique property would take many pages. It could be operated as an exclusive private ranch, commercial guest ranching operation or developed in a variety of pleasing ways. Conservation Easement While the property has great development potential and is in close proximity to one of America’s leading recreation / ski areas, it is a prime candidate for a Conservation Easement for a future owner who is conservation minded and/or able to utilize the very significant possible tax benefits provided by such an easement. The current owner has already done much of the groundwork to initiate such a plan. The property has already been pre-approved by two leading national conservation organizations and the required base line study is now being completed.

Lone Eagle Land Brokerage, 21263 HWY 550, Montrose, Colorado 81403
Phone: (970) 249-4300 Fax: (970) 249-1313 | info@eagleland.com

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