Thornton Ranch Sales
Leonard F. (LEN) Thornton
Broker, REALTOR®
1501 Isaac Creek Circle
New Braunfels, TX 78132
Phone: (210) 656-1955
Fax: (800) 371-8486


(Hunting-Ranching-Recreation Ranch-Deepest Cave in the State of Texas)

6,519.18 ACRES
TERRELL COUNTY, TEXAS

LOCATION: Located 7 miles north of Dryden; or 18 miles east of Sanderson which is the county seat; or 90 miles east of Alpine; or 90 miles northwest of Del Rio; or 100 miles northeast of Big Bend National Park; or 125 miles south of Midland; or 225 miles west northwest of San Antonio; or 265 miles west of Austin; or 375 miles southwest of Dallas; or 410 miles west of Houston. All distances are measured straight-line "as the crow flies".

BACKGROUND: This 10 section ranch was part of a 36 section ranch purchased by a Houston businessman and his wife in the 1950s. The Owner sold off 26 sections in the late 1970s and retained the cave and better part of the ranch for hunting, ranching, recreation and spelunking purposes. The ranch has been well preserved. The grazing rights are under the care and supervision of a local rancher who stocks the ranch lightly with cattle. This fine ranch has not been leased out for commercial hunting. Instead it has been used for quail and deer hunting by the Owner and his family.

METHOD OF SALE: The Owner has given Thornton Ranch Sales exclusive authorization to market this ranch. Owner will convey the property by a General Warranty Deed, provide a standard Owner's Policy of Title Insurance, and provide a current survey of the property. The Owner will accept all cash or sell on an installment sale with excellent Owner (Seller) financing as hereinafter described.

DESCRIPTION: This ranch can be best described as a classic, ruggedly beautiful West Texas hunting, ranching and recreation ranch. It has numerous desirable characteristics that make it most attractive. Specifically, being less than a ten minute drive from the small town of Dryden and only about 30 minutes from the county seat town of Sanderson, the location is excellent. Access is superb with 1.77 miles of frontage on each side of State Highway 349 which clips through the east part of the ranch. Approximately 275 acres lies east of the highway. Eightmile Draw, a large seasonal creek fed by about 12 tributaries, traverses the middle of the ranch for a distance of five miles. The entryway to Sorcerer's Cave, a point of major interest, is located on Eightmile Draw. The cave is further described below. Surface elevations vary from a low of 2,060 feet to a high of 2,385 feet. This 325 foot elevation variation provides awesome views and scenic topography that words cannot describe. There are numerous wide valleys and flats with better soils, good grasses and heavy tree/brush cover. The ranch is well watered by a system that includes two water wells, one equipped with a windmill and one with an electric submersible pump. There is a large concrete water storage reservoir at each well, about 4.5 miles of water pipeline and ten strategically located gravity flow water troughs. The ranch is fenced into 3 large pastures and 3 smaller traps to facilitate efficient livestock operations. All fences are sheep/goat proof low fences with mesh/net wire on the bottom and barbed wire on top. The key parts of this ranch are easily accessible via a system of reasonably good all weather roads. The tree/brush cover includes mesquite, juniper, lechuguilla, black brush, algerita, walnut, mormon teaweed and miscellaneous brush. Also found are sotol, prickley pear, bear grass and choya. Grasses found on the ranch include black grama, blue grama, sideoats grama, green sprangletop and others. The habitat for birds and wildlife is excellent with the above cover providing a good source of food and cover for deer and quail. This property is ideally suited for operation as a pure wildlife/hunting ranch or as a dedicated livestock (cattle, sheep, & goats) ranch. If so desired, the topography in several areas of the ranch is suitable for construction of a 5,000 foot airstrip with very little earthwork being required. In summary, this ranch can best be described as a pristine, pure and unspoiled block of land with unlimited potential. The price is right, the owner is motivated to sell, and if you inspect this ranch the odds are that you will want to own it.

WILDLIFE, HUNTING, RECREATION: The superb wildlife population includes white-tail deer, a few mule deer, javelina hogs, blue quail, turkey, dove, fox, coons, rabbits and miscellaneous varmints. Deer hunting has been highly restricted on this ranch in recent years. Accordingly, the deer herd should be in excellent condition with regard to size and numbers. Whether you are a bow hunter, deer hunter, bird hunter, turkey hunter, photographer, birdwatcher, outdoorsman, spelunker, or a student of nature, the wildlife on this beautiful ranch will keep you challenged and entertained. There are caves to explore and Indian relics to be found. The ranch offers the opportunity for horse riding with miles and miles of pretty valleys to be explored. Also, varied activities such as hiking, exploring, camping, bird watching, nature walks, or setting on a hillside with your binoculars and searching the valleys below for wildlife are all available for the taking. Or, if your desire is to simply get away from it all and enjoy Mother Nature at her best, this tranquil ranch would be the perfect place to achieve that objective.

CAVES: Sorcerer's Cave, the deepest cave in the state of Texas, is found on Eightmile Draw near the middle of this ranch. This cave has been well explored, surveyed and mapped by experienced spelunkers. It is 548 feet deep and 8,000 feet long. There are numerous rooms (some with 60 foot plus ceilings), stalactites up to 23 feet long, stalagmites and an ample supply of guano. This cave has the deepest bat roost in Texas. At the bottom of the cave there is a live stream called the Sirion River. This stream has 3,500 feet of stream passage that includes deep pools of crystal clear water, rapids and waterfalls up to seven feet in height. The stream flows up to about 4,000 gallons per minute. A smaller cave, Lectric Cave, has also been found on the ranch. Contact Broker if you desire more information on these caves.

MINERALS: The Owner owns 3/10 of the minerals under one section of land. One half of the minerals owned by Owner will be conveyed with the sale. Additionally, there are two sections (about 1,280 acres) of school classified land that will convey to the buyer. The minerals are not now leased but they have been leased in past years.

IMPROVEMENTS: One electric water well and one windmill well, two concrete water storage reservoirs, about 4.5 miles of pipeline, and 10 gravity flow water troughs. About 15 miles of perimeter and internal cross fences. Pens shared with the neighboring ranch are located near the electric water well. Internal road system. There is electricity on the property and telephone service available.

TAXES: Based on current agricultural use the total ad valorem taxes for calendar year 2000 were $975.00 or only 15 cents per acre. The property shall be conveyed to the buyer with said agricultural use and related tax rate in effect.

LEASES AND POSSESSION: There are no leases on the property. Possession of the ranch shall be given on the date of closing and funding subject to no leases of any kind.

PRICE: $619,322.10* ($95.00 per acre).

* The price shall be adjusted based on the actual number of surveyed acres that will be conveyed by a General Warranty Deed and covered by an Owner's Policy of Title Insurance multiplied by the price per acre agreed upon by Owner (Seller) and Buyer. Said price shall not include any livestock, equipment or personal property

TERMS: (3 options as follows):

• All cash at closing
  
  
• 25% or more cash down and OWNER will finance the balance on a first lien amortized note for a term of fifteen (15) years at a fixed interest rate of 8% with semi-annual payments. Said note to contain no prepayment penalty and be a non-recourse (no personal liability) note secured solely by the property. Said financing to be subject to OWNER'S approval of Buyer's credit
  
  
• Any other terms that are acceptable to OWNER

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