The massive Texas ranch of the late oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens has sold at a $60 million price cut after languishing on the market for five years. Located in the northeast corner of the Texas Panhandle, Mesa Vista stretches for over 100 square miles and almost 37,000 acres along 25 miles of the Canadian River.
The compound includes a five-bedroom family house, an 11,500-square-foot lake house with three bedrooms, a 2,300-square-foot gatehouse with three more bedrooms, a private airport with a two-bedroom apartment for pilots, a chapel where Pickens and his fifth wife were married, a 2,250-square-foot pub, golf course, tennis court and a 400-square-foot gun room, according to toptenrealestatedeals.com.
The lodge has hosted many important civic and political events.
There is a 25,000-square-foot lodge and conference center with a living room, commercial kitchen, more bedrooms, a library with a spiral staircase, a 30-seat theater/media room, and a wine cellar. In addition, an 11,000-square-foot dog kennel includes a veterinary lab and 3,600 square feet of enclosed air-conditioned space. Pickens even moved the Oklahoma white-frame home where he grew up to Mesa Vista.
Boone’s Creek flows through the ranch for about 12 miles
The ranch has an abundance of water as Boone’s Creek flows through the ranch for about 12 miles of creeks, lakes, waterfalls and ponds, all of which are man-made and recirculated. One of Pickens’ major goals for the ranch was to enrich the land, returning it to an oasis for wildlife, much of which is back to its natural state of lush natural grasses, which have never been grazed. He was a leader in land conservation practices that are now followed by many other ranchers in the United States.
In 1971, Pickens bought approximately 2,900 acres along the south side of the Canadian River in Roberts County, Texas. The only structural improvement on this property was a small corrugated metal livestock feed house, which Boone used as a shelter to stay warm while he was quail hunting.
The estate includes a 30-seat movie theater.
Over the years, Boone began to assemble additional adjoining land positioned along the Canadian River corridor, and today the Mesa Vista Ranch comprises over 100 square miles of prime Eastern Texas Panhandle ranch land.
As Boone’s assemblage continued, he spent millions and millions of dollars to make Mesa Vista one of the best improved ranches in the country.
Pickens initially purchased the first 2,900 acres of Mesa Vista in 1971 and built a small corrugated metal livestock feed house. He sheltered in the feed house while quail hunting, according to mesavistaranch.com. The property first went up for sale for $250 million in 2017.
The terrace captures breathtaking views.
Pickens graduated from Oklahoma State University and dressed Mesa Vista in variations of his favorite orange color, which was also the color for his beloved OSU football team. In the early 2000s, Pickens donated over $200 million to the school’s athletic department. The school’s football field was renamed Boone Pickens Stadium in 2003.
Mesa Vista Ranch and pool
T. Boone Pickens, right, hosts the National Clean Energy Summit on August 10, 2009 in Las Vegas.
Pickens made his fortune in the oil and natural gas business, which brought him a net worth of about $1 billion at the time of his death in 2019 at the age of 91.
Mesa Vista was sold to Travis Chester, another Texas rancher. The sale price has not yet been disclosed but, according to a representative, the sale involved two transactions and was within 10 percent of the $170 million asking price.
According to a listing agent, “the sale of the Mesa Vista Ranch is basically turnkey, including all rolling stock, equipment, pickup trucks, hunting vehicles, farming equipment, furnishings, bird dogs, etc.”