Executive Summary
The Burson Rita Blanca Creek ranch is a truly unique western Texas Panhandle ranch consisting of a well blocked, rectangular 18± square miles configured six miles north and south and three miles east and west in south central Hartley County. The ranch’s topography is both diverse and stunning, with the wide fertile valley of Rita Blanca Creek running down the center of the ranch from north to south and being flanked by high mesas and on either side. The mesas rise from the valley, creating several finger bluffs and box canyons that provide ideal cover for wildlife and protection for cattle from winter storms. There are two improvement locations on the ranch, with an owner’s residence at one and a manager’s residence at the second location. Both improvements are located along Rita Blanca Creek and are surrounded by old-growth cottonwoods and planted hardwoods.
The ranch has historically been operated as a 400-500 head cow-calf operation with the productive sub-irrigated land along Rita Blanca Creek, providing above-average carrying capacity for a ranch of this size as well as stable forage production during periods of drought. Water is so shallow that the ranch utilizes seven artesian wells that flow year-round at constant temperature and provide domestic, livestock, and wildlife water. Three artesian wells maintain a 16± acre lake in the south-central part of the ranch. The higher elevation areas of the ranch are watered by a combination of windmills, solar and submersible pumps, and seasonal earthen tanks.
The Burson Rita Blanca Creek Ranch is home to trophy white-tailed deer, mule deer and is granted two pronghorn antelope permits annually. Bobwhite and scaled quail are common, and the large lake is teeming with waterfowl during the winter months. Dove hunting could be significantly enhanced with small food plots adjacent to the pools on the creek. The ranch is also home to hogs, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and the occasional mountain lion.
The ranch will convey 50 percent of the seller’s owned minerals, along with 100 percent of all surface rights and alternative energy rights.
General Description
The topography of the Burson Rita Blanca Creek Ranch is stunning, with the wide fertile valley of Rita Blanca Creek running down the center of the ranch from north to south and being flanked by high mesas on either side. The mesas rise from the valley, creating several finger bluffs and box canyons that provide ideal cover for wildlife and protection for cattle from winter storms.
Approximately 1,500 acres along Rita Blanca Creek are considered sub-irrigated, and most of the sub-irrigated acres are Class II soils. Several areas of sub-irrigated meadow have been hayed in the past. There is an approximately 16-acre lake on the south-central portion of the ranch fed by three artesian water wells. The lake and natural pools along the creek bed provide excellent waterfowl habitat and hunting. Seven artesian wells in the creek bottom provide a constant freshwater source to the improvements, cattle, and wildlife. Additional water resources could be economically developed for recreational purposes.
There is over 330 feet of elevation change on the ranch from the flat mesa tops on the northwest part of the ranch to where Rita Blanca Creek exits the property on the south boundary.
Broker's Comments
The same family has owned and operated Burson Rita Blanca Creek Ranch for four generations. The ranch was once part of the Rita Blanca Division of the XIT Ranch that was syndicated by the state in the late 1880s to finance the building of the Texas State capital building. Before that, the ranch was in the heart of the vast Comanche territory known as the Comancheria, and Rita Blanca Creek was a natural and resourceful route for the Comanches that regularly raided the merchant traders along the Santa Fe Trail to the north. The ranch is a rare combination of a working cattle ranch of economic size and scope with excellent hunting and recreational amenities.
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Location
Burson Rita Blanca Creek Ranch is conveniently located approximately 10 miles southwest of Hartley, Texas, on County Road T via FM 2357. The south entrance of the ranch is approximately 10 miles northwest of Channing, Texas, and is north of County Road Y via State Highway 767 out of Channing.
The ranch is situated in south central Hartley County, approximately 60 miles northwest of Amarillo, Texas, 30 miles south of Dalhart, Texas, and 30 miles west southwest of Dumas, Texas. Both Dumas and Dalhart have jet capable municipal airports, and Amarillo offers commercial air service.
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Acreage (Deeded & Leased)
Deeded Acres: 11,520±
Total Leased Acres: 0±
Total Acres: 11,520±
Improvements
There are two improvement locations on the Burson Rita Blanca Creek Ranch. Both improvements are located along Rita Blanca Creek and surrounded by old-growth cottonwoods and planted hardwoods. Each improvement site is supplied by an artesian well pressurized by submersible pumps.
The main headquarters site is in the middle of the ranch. The owner’s residence is approximately 4,474± square feet and brick veneer in construction with a composite shingle roof and surrounded by pipe fence. The location includes several outbuildings, working pens, and a 50X100 machine shed with a concrete floor.
A second improvement site is located approximately one mile north of the main headquarters and includes a second residence of approximately 2,410± square feet. This home has a rock exterior gathered from the ranch and a red tile roof.
Water Resources
The Burson Rita Blanca Creek Ranch is very well watered. The ranch has the benefit of a very shallow water table along either side of the Rita Blanca Creek valley that fills and maintains deep water holes along the historic creek bed that runs north and south through the entire ranch. Water is so shallow that the ranch utilizes seven artesian wells from the north end to the 16± acre lake on the south-central part of the ranch. The artesian wells are used for livestock water, water at the improvement sites, and to maintain the water level in the lake.
The year-round flow of artesian water at constant temperature is a unique feature and resource of the ranch and the area. Additional dredging of new and existing water holes and the development of other wells could significantly enhance the recreational opportunities on the ranch at a very economical cost to complete and then operate.
The higher elevation areas of the ranch are watered by a combination of six windmills, three solar pumps, troughs supplied by a pipeline pressured by a submersible pump from one of the artesian wells, and earthen stock tanks.
Mineral Rights
The ranch will convey 50 percent of the seller’s owned minerals, along with 100 percent of all surface rights and alternative energy rights. The owners believe they own 100 percent of the mineral estate associated with eight of the north nine sections and 33 percent of the mineral estate associated with the south nine sections. None of the property is currently leased, and there is no active production on the ranch. The property has been leased several times over the years, most recently in June 2017.
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Wildlife Resources
The Burson Rita Blanca Creek Ranch is home to trophy white-tailed deer, mule deer and is granted two pronghorn antelope permits annually. Though most of the ranch is open and free of brush, the canyons formed by the rising mesas on either side of the creek valley provide excellent cover. Pools on the creek and the free-flowing artesian wells offer year-round water for wildlife. Bobwhite quail are common, and the large lake is teeming with waterfowl during the winter months. Dove hunting could be significantly enhanced with small food plots adjacent to the pools on the creek. The ranch is also home to hogs, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, and the occasional mountain lion.
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General Operations
The ranch has historically been operated as a 400-500 head cow-calf operation with the productive sub-irrigated land along Rita Blanca Creek, providing above-average carrying capacity for a ranch of this size as well as stable forage production during periods of drought. Areas of the sub-irrigated grass along the creek bottom have occasionally been cut for hay, and that enterprise could easily be enhanced and expanded. The ranch is cross-fenced into several pastures, with the bluffs of the mesa providing a natural boundary for livestock in some locations. Working pens are located at each improvement site, and the third set of pens is located on the south-central part of the ranch.
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