Vermejo Park Ranch
Encyclopedia
The Vermejo Park Ranch is a 590823 acres (2,391 km²) ranch
owned by Ted Turner
in northeastern New Mexico
and southern Colorado
that is said to be the largest privately owned, contiguous tract of land in the United States
.
The ranch, located just west of the city of Raton
, is the biggest component of Turner's ranch empire of 2000000 acres (8,093.7 km²) that as of 2007 makes him the biggest private landowner in the United States. It lies mostly in western Colfax County, New Mexico
, but smaller portions extend into northeastern Taos County, New Mexico
as well as southwestern Las Animas County
and southeastern Costilla County
in Colorado.
The ranch's most visible component is its guest ranch and hunting. It is stocked with elk
, mule deer
, pronghorn
, bison
, black bear
, mountain lions, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and Merriam's Turkey (a subspecies of the Wild Turkey).
Some sections are used for extracting natural gas
from its immense hydrocarbon reserves. The ranch was extensively mined for coal in the early 1900s with mine names of Brilliant, Koehler and York Canyon. The ranch is said to have a 300-year reserve of bituminous coal
, trillions of cubic feet of natural gas
and unknown quantities of oil.
A small portion is used for the Rich Cabins
camp for the adjoining Philmont Scout Ranch
.
It was part of the Lucien Maxwell
land grant.
In the early 1900s William H. Bartlett (1850–1918) built elaborate ranch houses in the property. Bartlett bought 200000 acres (809.4 km²) in 1902 for $195,000 and hired close friend and Chicago architect, Joseph Lyman Silsbee
to help him make improvements including three large residences (including the main Casa Grande) and a power plant. He expanded it to 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²).
Bartlett died at the ranch in 1918 and his sons died within two years.
A syndicate of New York, St. Louis and Chicago businessman took an option to buy the ranch and organized the Vermejo Park Club selling memberships to Tex Austin
, Billy Mitchell, Amon Carter, and the Frederick Guest family. A member of the Guest family shot an elk which at the time was the ninth largest in the world; it is now on display at the Museum of Natural History
in New York. However the syndicate was unable to raise the $1.8 million asking price and the original club was disbanded.
Los Angeles Times
baron Harry Chandler
bought the property from Bartlett. In 1927 Chandler and his investors worked on a new Vermejo Park Club attracting Douglas Fairbanks
, Mary Pickford
, Harvey Firestone
and Herbert Hoover
.
The Club was disbanded in the Great Depression
.
W. J. Gourley, a Fort Worth businessman, bought it in 1948 and increased the total area to 480000 acres (1,942.5 km²).
On December 23, 1955, the large middle guest house burned and the stables were renovated to become the ranch's main social and dining area now called "The Stables."
Pennzoil
bought the property in 1973 and increased its area to 588000 acres (2,379.6 km²).
In 1996 Ted Turner acquired the property, sold the cattle and used their pasturage for bison
, which are also called "buffalo" in North America. Ralphie V, of the Ralphie
mascot of the Colorado Buffaloes
, was born there.
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
owned by Ted Turner
Ted Turner
Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable news network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
in northeastern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and southern Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
that is said to be the largest privately owned, contiguous tract of land in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The ranch, located just west of the city of Raton
Raton, New Mexico
Raton is a city in Colfax County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 7,282 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Colfax County. The city is located just south of Raton Pass.-Name:...
, is the biggest component of Turner's ranch empire of 2000000 acres (8,093.7 km²) that as of 2007 makes him the biggest private landowner in the United States. It lies mostly in western Colfax County, New Mexico
Colfax County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*83.8% White*0.5% Black*1.5% Native American*0.4% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.6% Two or more races*10.1% Other races*47.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
, but smaller portions extend into northeastern Taos County, New Mexico
Taos County, New Mexico
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*68.7% White*0.4% Black*6.2% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.9% Two or more races*20.1% Other races*55.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
as well as southwestern Las Animas County
Las Animas County, Colorado
Las Animas County has the largest area of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Las Animas County takes its name from the Mexican Spanish name of the Purgatoire River, originally called El Río de las Ánimas Perdidas en Purgatorio, which means "River of the Lost Souls in...
and southeastern Costilla County
Costilla County, Colorado
Costilla County is the ninth least populous of the 64 counties in the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 3,663 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is San Luis, the oldest town in Colorado.- History :...
in Colorado.
The ranch's most visible component is its guest ranch and hunting. It is stocked with elk
Elk
The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...
, mule deer
Mule Deer
The mule deer is a deer indigenous to western North America. The Mule Deer gets its name from its large mule-like ears. There are believed to be several subspecies, including the black-tailed deer...
, pronghorn
Pronghorn
The pronghorn is a species of artiodactyl mammal endemic to interior western and central North America. Though not an antelope, it is often known colloquially in North America as the prong buck, pronghorn antelope, or simply antelope, as it closely resembles the true antelopes of the Old World and...
, bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
, black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, mountain lions, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and Merriam's Turkey (a subspecies of the Wild Turkey).
Some sections are used for extracting natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
from its immense hydrocarbon reserves. The ranch was extensively mined for coal in the early 1900s with mine names of Brilliant, Koehler and York Canyon. The ranch is said to have a 300-year reserve of bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
, trillions of cubic feet of natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
and unknown quantities of oil.
A small portion is used for the Rich Cabins
Rich Cabins
Rich Cabins is a camp managed by the Boy Scouts of America's Philmont Scout Ranch, a backpacking reservation in northern New Mexico. Rich Cabins is located on a portion of the Vermejo Park Ranch, which is owned by Ted Turner...
camp for the adjoining Philmont Scout Ranch
Philmont Scout Ranch
Philmont Scout Ranch is a large, rugged, mountainous ranch located near the town of Cimarron, New Mexico, covering approximately of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky Mountains of northern New Mexico...
.
It was part of the Lucien Maxwell
Lucien Maxwell
Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell was a rancher and entrepreneur who at one point owned more than . Along with Thomas Catron and Ted Turner, Maxwell was one of the largest private landowners in United States history....
land grant.
In the early 1900s William H. Bartlett (1850–1918) built elaborate ranch houses in the property. Bartlett bought 200000 acres (809.4 km²) in 1902 for $195,000 and hired close friend and Chicago architect, Joseph Lyman Silsbee
Joseph Lyman Silsbee
Joseph Lyman Silsbee was a significant American architect during the 19th and 20th centuries. He was well known for his facility of drawing and gift for designing buildings in a variety of styles.his most prominent works ran through Syracuse, Buffalo and Chicago He was influential as mentor to a...
to help him make improvements including three large residences (including the main Casa Grande) and a power plant. He expanded it to 300000 acres (1,214.1 km²).
Bartlett died at the ranch in 1918 and his sons died within two years.
A syndicate of New York, St. Louis and Chicago businessman took an option to buy the ranch and organized the Vermejo Park Club selling memberships to Tex Austin
Tex Austin
John Van "Tex" Austin was an American rodeo promoter, known as the King of the Rodeo or "Daddy of the Rodeo" because of his efforts to popularize the rodeo outside of its core American West demographic....
, Billy Mitchell, Amon Carter, and the Frederick Guest family. A member of the Guest family shot an elk which at the time was the ninth largest in the world; it is now on display at the Museum of Natural History
Museum of Natural History
A museum of natural history is a museum with exhibits about natural history, including such topics as animals, plants, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, and climatology. Some museums feature natural-history collections in addition to other collections, such as ones related to history, art and...
in New York. However the syndicate was unable to raise the $1.8 million asking price and the original club was disbanded.
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
baron Harry Chandler
Harry Chandler
Harry Chandler was an American newspaper publisher and investor who became owner of the largest real estate empire in the U.S.-Biography:...
bought the property from Bartlett. In 1927 Chandler and his investors worked on a new Vermejo Park Club attracting Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, Harvey Firestone
Harvey Firestone
Harvey Samuel Firestone was an American businessman, and the founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, one of the first global makers of automobile tires.-Family background:...
and Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover
Herbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
.
The Club was disbanded in the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
W. J. Gourley, a Fort Worth businessman, bought it in 1948 and increased the total area to 480000 acres (1,942.5 km²).
On December 23, 1955, the large middle guest house burned and the stables were renovated to become the ranch's main social and dining area now called "The Stables."
Pennzoil
Pennzoil
Pennzoil is an American oil company founded in Los Angeles, California in 1913. In 1955, it was acquired by Oil City, Pennsylvania company South Penn Oil, a former branch of Standard Oil. In 1963, South Penn Oil merged with Zapata Petroleum; the merged company took the Pennzoil name. During the...
bought the property in 1973 and increased its area to 588000 acres (2,379.6 km²).
In 1996 Ted Turner acquired the property, sold the cattle and used their pasturage for bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...
, which are also called "buffalo" in North America. Ralphie V, of the Ralphie
Ralphie
Ralphie the Buffalo is the name of the live mascot of the University of Colorado Buffaloes. Ralphie has been called one of the best live mascots in sports, and she is often erroneously labeled male....
mascot of the Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado Buffaloes
The University of Colorado Boulder sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's team are called the Buffaloes or Golden Buffaloes . "Lady Buffs" referred to the women's teams beginning in the 1970s, but was officially dropped in 1993...
, was born there.