Spring Creek Ranch

We are extremely proud to have obtained an exclusive listing on one of the very best ranches the Texas Panhandle has to offer - the KAR Spring Creek Ranch. This outstanding and rare offering includes approximately 9,754 acres along the south bank of the Canadian River. The Spring Creek Ranch boasts miles of live water and approximately 2,000 acres of productive cottonwood covered bottom land in the Canadian River and Spring Creek bottoms. In addition, this rare land offering includes a mineral conveyance unmatched in the current market.

LOCATION

The Spring Creek Ranch is conveniently located approximately 11 miles northeast of Borger, Texas in the heart of the productive rolling plains of the Texas Panhandle. Access to the main house is provided by paved County Road X, which fronts the south boundary of the ranch, and graded County Road W dead ends at the West Camp headquarters. Although the ranch is 15 minutes from town, it feels like an untouched retreat.

HISTORY

The Spring Creek Ranch was established as part of the 33,600-acre Harvey Ranch by Wyndam Robinson "Bunk" Harvey between 1901 and 1925. In 1965, Bunk's daughter Rachel Harvey partitioned out her 1/3 interest in the Harvey Ranch and established an oasis along Spring Creek and the Canadian River, known today as the KAR Spring Creek Ranch. Currently, this fine ranch is under the ownership of Mrs. Allen's grandchildren. For the first time since being purchased by Bunk Harvey over 100 years ago, this legacy property is being offered for sale. 

TOPOGRAPHY

The topography of the Spring Creek Ranch is diverse with a variety of land types ranging from productive creek and river bottoms to elevated ridges and rolling hills of grassland prairie. The unique quality of this ranch that separates this offering from any current offering in the Texas Panhandle is its vast amount of productive creek and river bottom country. Spring Creek enters the southeast corner of the ranch and meanders through its central portion for approximately seven miles. This live water creek intersects the Canadian River in the central part of the ranch. In total, there are approximately 2,000 acres, or 20% of the ranch, of productive creek and river bottom. The lush bottoms are the centerpiece of the ranch with highly productive sub-irrigated hay meadows and abundant stands of massive cottonwood trees, as well as scattered willow, hackberry, chinaberry, and other hardwoods. Outside of the creek and river bottoms, the topography is characterized as rolling hills of open grassland prairie cut by several drainages flowing to Spring Creek and the Canadian River.

Soil types are primarily loamy fine sand and fine sand loams. The vegetation includes a variety of bluestems, Indian grass, switchgrass, buffalo grass and other native grasses. Sage and bear grass are found scattered throughout the rolling plains country and an area of dispersed mesquite is found on the uplands in the western part of the ranch. Skunk brush and plum thickets are common in the bottoms in and amongst the hardwood tree cover. The creek bottoms are wide with sub-irrigated meadows capable of hay production. The ranch is fenced and cross fenced into seven main pastures and has been conservatively stocked and well cared for over the years. The turf of native grass is in excellent condition and well suited for a productive livestock operation.

NATURAL BEAUTY

Along the winding graded ranch roads, one will find many scenic lookouts over the creek bottom and stunning vistas over many miles of the Canadian River Valley and its mesas. The ranch is filled with untouched natural beauty in all seasons - fields of brightly colored wildflowers in the spring, brilliant yellow of the cottonwoods in the fall, and the soft quiet of occasional winter snows.

WATER FEATURES

The water features of the Spring Creek Ranch are excellent. Water is a precious commodity, and the water resources of the Spring Creek Ranch are a rare find in the current market. The Canadian River forms the north boundary of the ranch for a distance of approximately 3 miles. Spring Creek flows through the heart of the ranch from the south boundary to the north for approximately 7 miles. These wide fertile bottoms have a shallow water table, which provides for excellent opportunities for the development of larger ponds. One such pond is located in the Spring Creek bottom in the middle of the ranch. Along the entire length of Spring Creek, water flows generally year around. Numerous holes of water are found in the approximate 10 miles of bottoms, providing excellent sources of water for fish, birds, larger wildlife, and livestock.

In addition to the excellent live water features, the ranch includes 9 livestock and 2 domestic wells. Groundwater, provided by the underlying Ogallala Aquifer, is in great supply and of good quality. The livestock wells are equipped with windmills and adequately spaced throughout the ranch. Total well depths vary from 85 feet below the surface in the bottoms to over 200 feet in depth in the rolling plains country. Wells equipped with electric submersible pumps and water storage tanks are located at each residence.

STRUCTURAL IMPROVEMENTS

The Spring Creek Ranch has two headquarter areas. The main house is located on an attractive knoll surrounded by hardwoods overlooking Spring Creek in the southern part of the ranch. Access is provided by paved County Road X. This unique structure, custom designed by Rachel Allen’s husband Jack, was constructed in the early 1940's and contains approximately 2,800 square feet. The exterior is fashioned from approximately 8” thick limestone harvested from an area northwest of the ranch and is surrounded by beautiful stone walls. The residence includes three spacious bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen with walk-in pantry, a mudroom, a living room, a formal dining room and a solid wood-paneled office. Most rooms have windows on 2 or 3 sides which let in an abundance of natural light. The house has plaster walls and the original oak floors are in excellent condition. The living room has an exquisite herringbone wood ceiling as well as a grand limestone fireplace. A superb southwestern style woodburning fireplace warms the spacious master bedroom and a charming limestone fireplace heats the screened-in porch which also offers relaxing views of Spring Creek.

Other structures include two large wood-frame storage/garage buildings and a beautiful old rock building which has been used as an office, and a generator location. It can be turned into a bunkhouse. There is also a 30 x 8 ft diameter swimming tank located near the house that is filled with clear Spring Creek water.

The northern headquarters is found in the west-central part of the ranch, approximately 3 1/2 miles north of County Road X at the termination of graded County Road W. Included is a two-story frame residence that is well suited for a caretaker or ranch foreman. Also located at the northern headquarters are the shipping pens. These pens are of steel pipe construction and include a truck load-out. Another set of steel pipe working pens is centrally located in the Spring Creek bottom.

WILDLIFE

The Spring Creek Ranch is a sportsman's dream and supports a wide variety of wildlife. The Canadian River corridor is famous for its trophy quality white-tail deer. Those found on the Spring Creek Ranch are no exception. The ranch also supports a good population of quality mule deer and pronghorn antelope which can be found roaming the upland plains portion of the ranch. Bird hunters have the opportunity for outstanding quail, dove, and turkey hunting. Waterfowl and large-mouth bass frequent the holes of water along Spring Creek and the Canadian River.

RESOURCES

The Spring Creek Ranch offering includes a truly unique and extremely rare mineral offering. In the 1965 surface partition of the Spring Creek Ranch from the 33,600 +/- acres of the Harvey Sisters Ranch, ownership of the mineral estate was left undivided. According to the sellers, they maintain a 1/3 ownership interest in the mineral estate under the original Harvey Ranch and are willing to convey one-half of their mineral ownership under the 33,600 acres +/- to the purchaser. The new owner will also gain executive rights over the surface area of the Spring Creek Ranch. Although there is no oil production on the surface of Spring Creek Ranch, there is a small amount on the Flats Pasture of the original Harvey Ranch which adjoins the west boundary of the Spring Creek Ranch. A mineral conveyance of this size, outside the boundaries of a property being sold, is nearly unheard of and extremely generous.

In addition to the mineral offering, the ranch includes mineable sand and gravel. The sellers also have maintained 100% ownership of the groundwater and wind energy rights. All sand, gravel, water, solar, and wind energy rights will be conveyed.

REMARKS

The opportunities to purchase a ranch property such as the Spring Creek Ranch are rare. Seldom does a ranch along the Canadian River in Hutchinson County or adjoining Roberts County, come available for purchase. Canadian River frontage is largely comprised of sizable land holdings and those of long-time family ownership, such as the remainder of the Harvey Ranch, the Whittenburg-Turkey Track Ranch, Courson Ranch, Brainard Ranch, Peacevale Ranch and the legendary Mesa Vista Ranch of the late Boone Pickens, which are all located within 10 miles of the Spring Creek Ranch.

The Spring Creek Ranch represents one of the best ranches that the Texas Panhandle has to offer. With its productive and highly sought-after creek bottoms, miles of live water, and mineral conveyance, this rare and unique offering is realistically priced at $14,750,000. 

If you are in the market for a one of a kind, productive and scenic Texas Panhandle ranch, look no further than the Spring Creek Ranch.

For more information or to schedule a showing, please contact Chad Dugger at (806) 773-4749.