The interior of the ranch has good water infrastructure with 10 operating water wells which feed multiple concrete troughs strategically located across the property. According to well logs in the area, ground water can be found at a depth of ~150ft with yields ranging from 10-150gpm.

Named Grape Creek & Little Grape Creek converge on the north end of the property and flow through the heart of the ranch. Wheeler Branch is yet a third named creek that traverses through the eastern portion of the ranch. All three creeks are seasonal, yet hold large pockets of water in areas during average rain-fall periods. Where Grape Creek enters the ranch, there is an active spring which feeds into a beautiful canyon and creates a nice swimming hole during wet times. There are also several small stock ponds across the ranch.

The sellers also own a significant amount of pumping rights out of the lake which may be negotiable. (Contact broker for more details)

IMPROVEMENTS

The headquarters consists of a one-story frame house (1935), remodeled in the late 1980s by architect Robert S. Morris. Adjacent to the main house is a guest house/game room, art studio, storage room, several barns and equipment sheds for all ranching equipment, and an above ground concrete storage tank fed by a windmill which serves as the swimming pool. To the east of the headquarters are two more homes, one of which was constructed with hand hewn local rock and is the oldest continually occupied house in Coleman County going back to original pioneer days! Other ranch improvements consist of 4 sets of working cattle pens, all-weather main entry road, and extensive cross-fencing for rotational grazing.

TERRAIN

The diverse terrain ranges from multiple creek bottoms and sloughs studded with gorgeous live oaks, cedar elms, and other hard-woods, to mesquite and cedar flats, multiple well maintained fields, and several high-points offering stunning views of the lake. The ranch has an ideal mix of brush to open pasture, providing excellent grazing while still maintaining plenty of cover for wildlife habitat.

There is approximately 125ft of elevation change across the ranch with elevations ranging from 1680 - 1555ft above sea level. The lake forms the southern boundary of the ranch, and the 1555ft contour line is what is used to determine that southern boundary. Depending on the lake level, there are certain times when there can be up to 1,000+ acres of surplus land below the 1555ft contour line that the family has the exclusive right to utilize and graze cattle on.

WILDLIFE

There is a good native deer herd on the ranch along with plentiful turkey, quail, dove, ducks, hogs, and more. On top of the hunting opportunities, Lake O.H. Ivie has become a bucket list destination for bass fisherman. The biggest largemouth bass caught in the state of Texas in the past 30 years was recently caught in 2022, and multiple bass in the top 25 of all time have been caught on the lake.

HISTORY

Operated by the same family (Padgitt - Day) for 145 years, the historic ranch began as open range in the early 1870s near the confluence of the Colorado and Concho Rivers along the old Western Trail to Dodge City, Kansas. The ranch at that time was operated under the name of the Day Cattle Ranch Company and was one of the first fenced ranches in the state, and by 1883 was the largest fenced ranch in Texas. At that time there was no law to stop free-grass cattle raisers from cutting fences, so this soon led to the infamous fence-cutting wars. Mabel Day, the patriarch of the family at that time, lobbied representatives in Austin and a law passed in 1884 making fence-cutting a felony crime forever protecting the private property rights of ranchers in Texas. In 1990 the Colorado River was damed to create Lake O.H. Ivie which has a surface area of around 20,000 acres when full. In 1999 the Padgitt Ranch was selected for the Family Land Heritage Award.

MINERALS

Surface only sale - There is currently no production on the ranch and no active O&G lease.