2,535 Acres in Lometa, TX - $6,529,350

A little history: This ranch has been in the Guthrie family for over 65 years. Murray Guthrie was one of the World War I Flying Aces who piloted an open-cockpit, French Spad 220 horsepower airplane as a member of the armys 13th Aero Squadron in France. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross on three occasions in late 1918. After the war, Murray started a long career in advertising when joining the advertising department of a company in Minneapolis that later became General Mills. He and a partner later co-founded an advertising agency with offices in Minneapolis-St. Paul and New York. In 1952, Murray Guthrie and his wife, Ruth, purchased a ranch property a short distance west of Adamsville in Lampasas County that became the foundation for the present-day property. His daughter continued the family ranching operation following his passing in 1985.

Terrain and Vegetation: Rolling, grass-covered hills with narrow, tree-lined drainageways; the entire ranch is easily accessible in a pickup or ATV. Elevation ranges from about 1100 feet above sea along the eastern boundary to 1300 feet atop a plateau north of the headquarters.

South Turkey Creek, an intermittent stream that flows into the Lampasas River about mile east of the ranch, crosses the northernmost pasture. The creek has narrow cut-banks and is lined with majestic oaks, cedar elm, and pecan trees along with Switch grass, Little and Big Bluestem, and a variety of other short and mid-grass species. Turkey Creek is a wet-weather stream with numerous small pools of water that sometimes last year-round.

Improvements: The headquarters house is 1950-60s vintage with wide native rock walls and 3 bedrooms situated to catch the summer breeze. A full length, south-facing porch with Saltillo tile flooring provides a long view of the Simms Creek valley. Guests can also enjoy a small, 2-bedroom 2 bath pool house that sits on the opposite side of the pool from the west wing of the main. A livestock barn with tack and tool rooms, working pens, and metal equipment barn/shop round out the headquarters facilities.

The foremans house, a wood frame brick veneer home, is situated about a half mile east of the headquarters. The foremans compound also has several outbuildings including a metal garage/storage barn combination, a 3-sided haybarn with lean-to implement storage shed, and two 12-ton overhead feed storage bins.

The ranch is divided into 4 major pastures and a smaller headquarters pasture. Livestock can be easily rotated for grazing management and livestock water is well distributed across the pastures. Three livestock/fishing ponds, each about acre in size, are scattered across the ranch.

In addition to the 3 domestic water wells at the headquarters and foremans house, there are 3 livestock water wells equipped with windmills and concrete storage tanks, and one well with a submersible pump.

Ranching operation: The ranch is currently used in Beefmaster cow/calf enterprise. Along with the real estate, the owner will consider the sale of the cattle and operating equipment used on the ranch including a recent model John Deere 5525 tractor with associated farming equipment, Caterpillar 272D skid steer, flat bed and livestock trailers, sprayers, trailer mounted feeder, and miscellaneous other items. The listing price is for the real estate only.

Location: Austin Bergstrom Airport is 95 miles southeast of the ranch - about an hour and 40 minutes drive time and Waco is 80 miles northeast. San Antonio International Airport and Dallas DFW are about equidistant from the ranch roughly a 2 hour and 40-minute drive to either city (134 and 159 miles).

Lampasas Airport is 17 miles south of the ranch. It has a 4,200-foot runway, IFR approach, Automated Weather Observation System accessible by phone or aircraft radio, tee hangers, tie-downs and 24-hour fuel service.