The Spring Creek Ranch, owned by the same family for nearly 80 years, is now being offered for sale. Comprised of 10,793± acres of deeded land with predominantly native tallgrasses in the heart of the widely known Kansas Flint Hills, this ranch is a combination cow/calf and stocker cattle operation that was designed to operate at a very efficient level. The ranch has excellent cattle handling facilities and in addition to beef production, the ranch also offers diverse recreational opportunities, some of which can appreciably affect the bottom line. Beautiful Spring Creek runs through the ranch for over seven miles, providing numerous areas of fertile cropland, hay meadows, and stands of hardwood trees in and around the rock-bottom creek with pools of fresh, clear water. There are over 47 ponds and lakes throughout the ranch, including the 70-acre Big Lake and the 14-acre Niles Lake, plus Cabin Lake where the native stone lodge sits on the water’s edge.
Spring Creek Ranch is divided into a total of more than 17 large pastures, plus numerous traps and hay meadows and over 602 acres of cropland. The exterior and interior fencing is generally in good condition. The headquarters is well laid out with five large metal buildings (used for equipment storage, mineral storage, and covered processing areas), large scales, and excellent pipe alleyways and pens. Just south of the headquarters is Cabin Lake with a beautiful stone cabin sitting on its north bank.
The stunning topographical relief across the ranch exemplifies some of nature’s most beautiful scenery. The waving tallgrasses and wildflowers covering the hills are accented by the hardwood tree stands along the creeks. The deep canyons populated with natural springs all flow to Spring Creek as it meanders through the entire ranch.
Spring Creek Ranch is truly a rare and unique opportunity to purchase an outstanding operating cattle ranch. Stewardship has always been a focus of the owner since purchasing the land in 1941. They have consistently run their cattle operations within the limits of one of nature’s most prolific ecosystems, never over-grazing the land and giving much attention to care and upkeep. While the Flint Hills of Kansas are naturally some of the most productive lands on this earth, it still requires knowledge and resources to maintain it in as good of condition as Spring Creek Ranch is today. This ranch is improved and in condition to run a thriving cattle business. At the same time, it is a beautiful setting with outstanding recreational components matched by few other places. Great hunting, great scenery, and over 47 lakes/ponds, including a 70-acre watershed lake.
The ranch is located approximately 50 miles east of Wichita in Greenwood County.
The Kansas Flint Hills represent the bulk of the remaining acres of native tallgrass prairie in this country. Originally there were over 140 million acres of this unique ecosystem but only four percent of that remains, protected naturally by the predominantly rocky soil. This rich soil sits on thick layers of limestone, flint rock, and shale. The limestone rock produces naturally rich, native grasses that cattle easily gain weight on, making cattle ranching the main driver of the local economy.
The hills are dominated by numerous springs and creeks in the many draws and meadows, usually with good stands of hardwood trees. The ranch is an unmatched habitat for numerous wildlife species, including whitetail deer, turkey, and upland game birds. The native prairie grasses are speckled with many varieties of wildflowers which add to the breathtaking beauty of the rolling Flint Hills.
Greenwood County lies only an hour east of Wichita, the largest city in Kansas. The county is predominantly an agricultural-based area with a small-town rural lifestyle feel to it. There are two main east/west state highways across the county along with one main north/south state highway. The Spring Creek Ranch headquarters is only three miles from a state highway.
The average high temperature in January is 43 degrees and the average high temperature in July is 90 degrees. The average annual precipitation is 37 inches and includes 6” of snow. The ranch averages around 186 frost-free days yearly.
Native grass: 8,331± acres
Crop land/improved grass (meadows): 602± acres
Wooded areas/creeks and ponds: 1,860± acres
Total Acres*: 10,793± acres
*Currently operates with an additional four land leases that total 923 acres.
Elevation on the ranch ranges from 1,170 feet along the creek bottoms all the way up to 1,600 feet on the highest hills.
Headquarters:
Modern cattle processing barn (Wick building, 36’X70’, built in 2014)
Shop (metal building, 40’X60’)
Equipment shed (Morton building, 42’X60’)
Storage shed (metal building, 36’X72’)
Horse barn (metal building, 40’X60’)
Pipe alleyways and pens
Full scales
One large hay shed (plus two additional hay sheds at other points on the ranch)
Lean-to shed for horses (16’X30')
Corporate/residential housing:
Cabin–built in the 70s, 2,566 square feet stone construction, three bedrooms, two baths
Manager’s home–built in 2007, 1,920 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths, lower level includes Manager’s office and bath along with a second kitchen and dining/lounging area
Employee home–remodeled in 2014, 1,459 square feet, brick, three bedrooms, two baths
Numerous spring-fed ponds that dot the ranch from one end to the other provide fresh water for the livestock. Buildings at the headquarters, both houses and the cabin are on rural water. Water used in the cattle pens is pumped from nearby Cabin Lake.
Seller believes all mineral rights are intact and are included in the sale.
Property taxes are estimated at $43,663.66 based upon past years.
This ranch straddles Spring Creek for nearly seven miles, providing plentiful hunting and fishing opportunities with the numerous crop fields and hay meadows lined with big stands of hardwood trees. With the 70-acre Big Lake and the many rock-bottom sumps and water holes, this is truly a wildlife haven like no other. Nearly all of the deep draws coming off of the ranch’s surrounding rolling hills lead into this creek area. Without question, this is big trophy whitetail deer country, as well as being a haven for wild turkey, quail, prairie chickens, coyote, and numerous other native wildlife.
With over 47 creek-fed and spring-fed lakes and ponds, many of which are stocked with bass and crappie, there are many fishing opportunities on the Spring Creek Ranch. Saddle up and go horseback riding to your favorite picnic spot or take a UTV ride across the ranch to watch the numerous bird species that populate this area. Or take a lazy afternoon and paddle around on your eight-acre lake just steps from the beautiful cabin.
For many years the ranch was operated with a commercial cow herd and stockers. Around 2012 the ranch became the primary bull seedstock operation for all Matador Cattle Company operations. In recent years the cow herd was reduced to around 200 head and about 3,000 head of customer summer stockers.
