El Cañón Ranch

UNDER CONTRACT

Location

31 miles south of downtown Marfa on paved Casa Piedra Road you turn east past the Alamito Creek bridge onto a private deeded easement road for 6 miles to the front gate of El Cañón Ranch.  The ranch has another access 4 miles south of the bridge where you then turn east on a private easement road for 4 miles to the ranches south entrance. This ranch is part of the Baugh-Brown family who owned over 75,000 contiguous acres at one time.  “Papa” Jack Brown ran this part of the family’s land holdings, and it was his favorite part of the family’s holdings in far West Texas.  The ranch to the west owned by Dixon Water Trust has a Conservation Easement protecting views from Pascasio Ranch to the west.

Acreage

7,076 acres in Presidio County

• Garanon $765 per acre/ $2,481,660
• El Cañón $765 per acre/ $2,931,480

Description

El Cañón Ranch is comprised of 7,076 acres of vistas, plateaus, mountains, canyons, igneous outcrops, and sweeping grasslands.  The ranch slopes north to south and commands the high ground for miles with many views of the surrounding landscape. Puerto Portillo Creek runs along the southern boundary and there are many drainages and wooded canyons flowing into this main drainage.

The entrance is along an escarpment once you get into the front gate so immediately you are dazzled by distant views of area mountains including Davis, Cienega, Santiago, Chisos, Rosillas, Bofecillos Mountains as well as the Sierra Ricas in Mexico.  Elevations range from 3,900 feet to 4,658 feet with many peaks, valleys, and escarpments.  The main road leads along a winding elevated route to a hidden valley where the Headquarters is located.  Electricity is found there along with a small camp house, and an excellent submersible well that owners call “Wonder Well” after its amazing quality and production.  There are several pastures and traps that have been used for decades as the El Cañón Ranch is a working cattle and hunting ranch. Every place is named on this ranch as owners’ grandmother would not take “we are going over there” for a location!  Pass Well, Stud Horse Windmill, Portillo Pasture, Mary Creek Canyon, Chicho Tank, and Buzzardo Well to name a few. Many caves and an important rock art site are located on the ranch.

Habitat

The landscape is rolling hills, mesas, canyons, grasslands, and scrublands surrounded by rugged mountain ranges which can be seen from most places on the property. Classic “Cattle County” of the Old West, the El Cañón Ranch has maintained much of the environment and appearance of times past.   This vast area is considered high Chihuahuan desert allowing for a mix of vegetation such as Spanish dagger, yucca, mesquite, creosote, catclaw, ocotillo, and cholla with a mix of blue grama, black grama, bear grass, and sideoats grama with scattered brush.  Canyons and creeks have heavier brush like mesquite, desert willow, Mexican walnut, soap berry, buckeye, white brush, hackberry, juniper, and oaks.

Wildlife

Although there is a wide variety of wildlife species on El Cañón Ranch, the Desert Mule Deer size and populations are impressive.  Additionally, this is Aoudad country with the variety of bluffs and cliffs providing essential escape habitat.  Blue quail are dispersed throughout the ranch and there is also great dove hunting at the water tanks.  El Cañón Ranch is also home to many species of birds, raptors, and songbirds.  The brush, trees, grasses, and forbs provide excellent habitat for these game and non-game animals.  This is Chihuahuan Desert hunting land at its best and a nature lover’s dream.

Water

El Cañón Ranch has electricity all along the north and south end providing the opportunity to pump wells to elevated storage tanks that can then be distributed with buried water lines to a variety of water troughs.  There are three electric wells, a windmill, and a very large dirt tank that provides lake water after the summer monsoon rains. Many tinajas are found in the shaded steep canyon bottoms.

Minerals

Seller will convey 50% of minerals owned.

The Seller will consider selling a portion of the ranch as described.  Seller’s cousin owns Pascasio Ranch to the west which is also being marketed by King Land & Water LLC.