Rockpile Ranch: The Land Report 2014 Ranchland Deal of the Year

Along the Scenic Loop in the Davis Mountains of Far West Texas lies Rockpile Ranch, 55,704 acres that had been owned by just three families since Texas was settled. In 2014 it passed to its next steward, the J.L. Davis family, with James King of King Land & Water representing both the seller and the buyer. The Land Report named the sale its 2014 Ranchland Deal of the Year.

A national search that ended in Fort Davis

When the McCoy-Remme family of San Marcos decided to sell, they looked across the country for the right broker, and invited the finalists to travel the ranch with them. They chose James King and King Land & Water in 2010.

“It was during that ride with James King that we realized his genuine appreciation for the range management that had allowed cowboys to maintain the herds during our low-moisture periods while discussing how he would highlight the value of the topography and the unique flora of the ranch,” said John Meeks of McCoy Corporation. “We never expected to find the best broker right there in Fort Davis.”

After four years of marketing, the ranch sold to the Davis family. Michael Davis credited James with bringing the deal together: “I think he was instrumental.”

Sky island country

Rockpile Ranch lies west and north of the University of Texas McDonald Observatory, in one of the few ecological sky islands of Texas and the Chihuahuan Desert. Elevations range from 4,500 to 6,907 feet, and the ranch sits on the edge of two North American migratory bird flyways. Named for the massive rock formations at its entrance, it was once part of the legendary X Ranch, which spanned 380,000 acres, and it looks out on the spires of Sawtooth Mountain. Sawtooth Mountain and the rock formations have drawn people for thousands of years, and mortars once used for grinding grain have been found across the ranch.

Over two decades, the McCoy-Remme family managed the grama and bluestem pastures with a structured grazing system, leaving exceptional rangeland health and some of the best cow and calf country in Far West Texas. “It honestly looks like a movie set because it really hasn’t been developed beyond straight cattle country,” Michael Davis said.

Kept whole

“The Rockpile Ranch fits into a larger conservation landscape of private landowners who want to keep sizable ranches from being subdivided,” James said. “With patience and hard work by all, the ranch is now in the hands of the next generation of owners.”

Because the right seller and the right buyer connected, the Rockpile remains much as it was in the 1800s, a true Texas working cattle ranch. “It’s where cowboys come to work, still roping and dragging,” James said. “I’m honored to be part of the changing ownership and the legacy of the families at Rockpile Ranch and their commitment to the Davis Mountains.”