Conservation Easements
Previous owners of the Bar Cross Ranch placed four conservation easements on the ranch with the Green River Land Trust, now managed by the Jackson Hole Land Trust. The easements cover the 5,000 plus acres of deeded land in the original Bar Cross Ranch. Three of these easements – as we read them allow nine 60-acre building sites and each of the three parcels can be divided into three parcels each with a building site. In general, they do not encourage any commercial uses of the ranch including dude ranching. The fourth easement covers a small gravel pit and allows for gravel to be taken out. However, the experts indicate that it is not merchantable gravel. In our experience we find these easements to be reasonably flexible and do not significantly impact the value of this part of the ranch. Call any Hall and Hall office for additional details about the easements.
Of course, over 7,000 acres are completely unencumbered. Because of the fact that this uneased portion encompasses most of the mule deer migration corridor on the ranch, the Bar Cross is of great interest to a number of conservation organizations including The Nature Conservancy.
The ranch operating improvements are complete and immaculate, including the beautifully renovated owner’s home, a manager’s house, and two bunkhouses - all renovated since 2018. In addition, there is a foreman’s house, two barns, a large shop, and a remote permanent tented retreat near the national forest boundary, as well as an outdoor arena and round pen for working horses. More importantly however, the entire ranch infrastructure has been updated in the last five years. Three new headgates have been installed for the irrigation system along with important maintenance work and the installation of control structures to assure maximum utilization of the ranch’s extensive water rights. 60 percent of the ranch’s nearly 100 miles of fences have been upgraded to wildlife-friendly and new corrals and working pens were completed in 2019 – including a new set of corrals and electronic scales at the Finn Place. The owners state that they have invested over $7,500,000 in capital improvements over the last five years through 2021.
BAR CROSS HEADQUARTERS
Original Barlow House: This classic western ranch house built in the early twentieth century circa 1910 evolved over the years with remodels and add-ons. The current owners of the Bar Cross, rather than build a new modern owner’s home in an inappropriate place on top of a hill, opted to renovate this historic structure, which is sited where it should be - with the help of architects who specialize in the renovation of historic homes. In addition to modernizing all the plumbing and electrical infrastructure, they stripped off siding and exposed the original logs, and put in new windows and floors. The result is a tight, lovely “modern” four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom home that looks like it has been there – as it has – for over 100 years. As can be seen from the photos, the furnishings and art are arguably more valuable than the house. The Molesworth and the Molesworth replicas are literally museum quality. (Special note: this listing does not include any personal property, but the owners would be prepared to sell separately almost all the personal property including furnishings, some art, ranch vehicles, and equipment.)
Bunkhouse at Bar Cross: The old bunkhouse located just behind the main house received a similar treatment in 2019 and it is now a comfortable 467 square foot one-bedroom guest cabin with multiple bunk beds, a kitchenette, and a sitting area.
Foreman’s House: This is the home of the ranch foreman who has been on the ranch for about 40 years. It is a small comfortable older house that, according to county records, predates the Barlow House. It has not been renovated but is in good condition.
Horse Barn: This is a classic hand-built hip roofed barn that is estimated to be around 75 years old. It is in good condition and commands a presence in the headquarters compound.
Other Buildings: With the addition of the Willow Creek Ranch to the Bar Cross, the operating center of the ranch has moved to the Willow Creek compound. The original Bar Cross buildings that include shops, calving sheds, and equipment storage are rarely used and were built for another era. They remain usable in most cases.
WILLOW CREEK HEADQUARTERS
Manager’s House: As an indication of the priorities of the current owner, the manager’s house was renovated first - in 2018. It is a comfortable two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom 2,363 square foot frame log home with an unfinished basement and attached two-car garage. It is located on a bench overlooking the lake and the Willow Creek Valley. There is a second two-car garage and a state-of-the-art chicken coop in the same complex of buildings.
Bunkhouse at Willow Creek: The Willow Creek improvements are newer and more modern than the Bar Cross. Most of them were built in the 1960s. They nevertheless needed to be renovated and updated. The 420 square foot frame log bunkhouse is suitable for staff or guests and contains one bedroom, a sitting area, a kitchenette, and one bathroom. It was also renovated in 2018.
Shop: Built in 2017 this 2,688 square foot building has a partial concrete floor and is heated and insulated in this main part. Enclosed gravel eqiupment storage and a lean-to make up the balance of the square footage. The main part has a bathroom and overhead electric doors to bring in equipment. It also includes the ranch office which has its own bathroom and kitchenette.
Other Buildings: In addition to multiple loafing sheds, outbuildings, the round pen, and the arena; this location has a 1,369 square foot horse barn with a heated tack room built in 1966.
The ranch also has a good gravel airstrip for small aircraft.
The New Fork River, whose headwaters are just one mountain pass south of the headwaters of the Green River, flows through the Bar Cross Ranch for over three miles, two-plus miles of which are on deeded land along both sides of the river. The New Fork is known to be a productive fishery with outstanding wade fishing and strong populations of brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout. A highly regarded and reputable stream bank restoration firm was hired by a previous owner to improve the fish habitat. The results of their work make this one of the most desirable sections of this well-known and popular trout stream in which to fish. As part of the restoration, the entire stretch of the deeded river section has been fenced off.
The ranch also includes an estimated eight miles of Willow Creek. This is a somewhat smaller stream than the New Fork and most anglers feel it has a lot of potential for restoration and rehabilitation. The owner has commissioned a study of it for enhancement but has not pursued any of the recommendations.
There is also a 35-acre private lake located just east of the Willow Creek Headquarters. It attracts incredible numbers of both indigenous and migratory waterfowl and makes an appealing place for an afternoon canoe or kayak outing. There are other smaller private lakes that are primarily used for livestock water. One of them is reported to contain trophy-quality trout!
The ranch also boasts very early and extensive irrigation water rights. These rights cover around 4,242.6 acres of adjudicated original supply. The broad expanse of lush meadows below the Bar Cross Headquarters is the envy of many who pass by the ranch. Many are territorial rights and of great value when one considers that the Green River is one of the main tributaries of the Colorado River, which we all know is vastly oversubscribed.
The owner has gone to considerable expense to develop extensive stock water sources to facilitate their intensive grazing management and to assure that even the most remote corners of the rangeland are grazed.
While literally millions of dollars have already been spent to bring the Bar Cross to its current high level of production and efficiency, the owner has commissioned many additional engineering/prototype plans for water development on the property from pivot sprinklers to water storage and spring developments.