Sad, but that's the way things are going.

[Jonesy]

Losing another ranch. My uncle's ranch is going on the auction block the 1st of November. He's retiring and none of the kids want to work it, they'd rather have their share of the money from the sale.

So if anyone want's 8,871 acres of deeded land, here's your chance. It's been in the family for 104 years. There is three good houses, all kinds of barns, garages, and outbuildings, several creeks, pastures, hay fields, rugged draws, springs, dams and all kinds of scrub cover. Some of the best Western South Dakota land for hunting. There are so many whitetail, he's had to have the Game and Fish to help control them. We are talking hundreds in a few square miles around the main place. There are a half dozen prairie dog towns, mule deer, whitetail, antelope, countless turkeys to the point of being a burden, sharptail grouse, prairie chicken, partridge, dove, swan, geese, duck, unbelieveable predator hunting and a couple bass dams. It's currently estimated to go for between three and four million big ones and could possibly go higher. There is current interest from people in Florida, Georgia and Texas as far as out of staters.

A way of life and heritage is going to be gone in an instant with the sound of a gavel. Welcome to Western South Dakota, playground for the rich... I'm beside myself in grief... Within the next couple years it will be our homestead up for auction. I still have thousands upon thousands of acres of private land to hunt on, but it's just not the same...

[Jonesy]

Pretty huh?

[Jonesy]

With the ranch you get this Cottonwood tree. It's the largest in Western South Dakota and arguably all of South Dakota. I measured around the base four feet up from the ground and divided it by PI. Which makes it 8 feet, 1 inch across.

It might sound kind of crazy, but I'm really going to miss that old grandfather tree. It's always been a great place for a picnic for the kids and I. There is a little spring creek that runs by it.

[BILLY D.]

is that a nice herd of mulies pardner or am i really going blind?

thats a shame to see 104 years of history go down the drain. there is no way that i can say i know how you feel. i just can't put myself in your boots. i can only try to imagine.

i'm sorry.

i'm not from this country but i love it as much as if i'd been born here. there is nothing like the prairies of the dakotas, wyoming and montana. what beautiful wide open country.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

How sad. Maybe we all at HC should pitch in and acquire it for all here to use? Bet the $ sign is out of reach.
My in-laws grew up on a farm that had been divided and sold over the years since the original grand-pappy died. They still own a large portion of it as their homestead but the main farm area is up for sale now by the last farmer/owners daughter. The son, my good friend, was killed in Vietnam so the dad just turned the farm over to his daughter who leased the land to farmers. Going price tag is $750,000 for 200 acres. A little too much for me. Funny thing is the in-laws use to own that whole area at one time. A few homes, a campground etc now stand. One man just last month bought the bottom land that joins this farm and even though his is a little over 100 acres, he grumped at one homeowner that mows his grass 2' mind ya over the line. Is posted now. I tried to get the PGC to buy it since it butts to the existing game lands but the aren't even close to the going price tag. Oh well...Anyone know the lottery numbers for tomorrow?
I think I will make your pictures a desktop photo. Nice.

[fabsroman]

Jonesy,

That really sucks. A farm I have been hunting for 10+ years is being sold by the lot right now. It is tough to watch it go, but such is life.

If the farm weren't that big and the price tag wasn't that high, I might have thought about it.

Skeeter,

That farm in PA you are talking about is more in my price range. Have you done any hunting on it? If so, what does it have on it? Also, where is it located.

[GoodOlBoy]

I hate to see it go Jonesy. Many of the old big ranches in my area have been gobbled up for the same reason. Typically investors buy them, split them off into smaller (sometimes MUCH smaller) pieces and sell them off. What was once a 3 thousand acre ranch close to where I work is now 4 subdivisions, two plants, a lowes, and comming soon a new minimall. Let us not forget the 17 gas stations on it. . . . . . .

Wish I had the money bud. I really really do. The hardest thing for me to face as I get older is the fact that the way of life I grew up with and loved is dying a slow painful death in this country. It won't be long until there are no more farms, no more ranches, and no more hunting.

GoodOlBoy

[skeet]

Jonesy, I hate to see it go myself. Wish I had the bucks or the cojones to buy the place..

GOB, Just to let ya know...that slow painful death of a way of life...it won't be so slow all of a sudden. The area I lived in Maryland went from pretty much the way it was when I was a kid to plywood orchards in 6-8 yrs

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Yes Fabs. It is one of my favorite hunting lands. Turkey out the wazoo..in fact they come from the roost there onto the in-laws yard and raid the bird feeders...I have taken many a turkey off it....Deer like you wouldn't believe...Has a nice ridge of woods that drops into a valley along a state trout stocked creek that makes the border on one side...then Pa state game lands #285 is the back border of the property...(can be seen on Pa Game comm website. http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/Then there are the fields she leases out for corn, soybeans..Pays her taxes which can get a discount for a farm animal or two...Has an old house on it..2 house trailers that people live in..(can be rented for cash)..another stream called panther (painter) run. Pheasants from the game-lands end up all over the place.

Go to Google Earth...type in 189 Hodgson Road Darlington, Pa. Where I will be moving in a year or 2. Now don't let that scare you either because believe it or not I mind my own business and am not a radical.... Now move off to the left a little along Hodgson Rd. The property borders are on Google Earth as this.
40* 47' 08.48" N 80* 27' 44.49" W
40* 47' 24.51" N 80* 27' 27.59" W
40* 47' 35.97" N 80* 27' 32.43" W
40* 47' 37.43" N 80* 28' 07.77" W
40* 47' 04.55" N 80* 28' 24.92" W

corner Hodgson and Sterling roads Northwood agency 724 7751000 ext. 117.

What a nice slice of the pie...and I also think there are 20 acres on the other side of sterling road...Not sure the owner even knows she owns it....lol...price just reduced to $742,500

Address is on Hodgson road, Darlington, Pa. House number I forget....This is in Beaver County, South Beaver twp. in Western Pa.

Hope I didn't go into too much detail ...but it would be nice to have a fellow hunter instead of a housing plan there.

[fabsroman]

Skeeter,

Thanks for the info. I'm going to look into it over the weekend and if I like it, I'll talk to my brothers and father about it because we are all dying to buy a farm since my parents sold their property in PA before we became teenagers. Boy do I miss that place. Of course, it was a little closer to us than western PA, but beggers cannot be choosers. Again, thanks for the info and it definitely isn't too much info.

[skeeter@ccia.com]

Did I mention Fabs the lake in the back yard?...is on the game lands but right over the border..is where painters run runs into...geese?..yea...they like to land in the field and lake. Bass, etc we use to fish and ride our horses around all that a while ago....before my horse got out of the pen and got in front of a train....I bet Carol ...the lady that owns it...would even take a tad less if offered...never know. GL.

[Dom]

Sad to hear that Jonsey, I feel for ya. Not much I can add to what's been said, but try and keep your chin up, Waidmannsheil, Dom.