17,542 Acres in Marathon, TX - $12,171,950

Matthews Law Ranch

Matthews-Law Ranch is a combination of two historic ranches and has over 4.5 miles of the Santiago Mountain ridgeline cascading down into Santiago Flats. Rugged, wild, secluded, amazing are just a few words to describe this true mountain ranch. Santiago Peak is just off the north boundary of the ranch and is a sentinel that can be seen from all over the ranch.

Location

This ranch has a six-mile improved deeded easement heading west from Highway 385. This easement road is across a private ranch and is located 22 south of Marathon which is over halfway to Big Bend National Park Persimmon Gap Ranger Station. Black Gap is also 22 miles away located on FM 2627 and La Linda on the Wild and Scenic Rio Grande just beyond. It is the epicenter of outdoor adventure with over 1 million acres of public land and waters in your backyard.

Acreage

17,542 Acres, part of a 424,000-ac block of ...

17,542 Acres, part of a 424,000-ac block of land for sale.

Description

The spine of the Santiago Mountains is the western boundary of the ranch creating outstanding views and an amazing western backdrop. There are numerous commanding vistas of the entire Big Bend Region and its mountain features including El Pico in the Del Carmens and the entire Chiosos Mountain skyline. Approaching the mountain country on the ranch from the highway heading west are wide flats created by the Maravillas Creek drainages. Up against the Santiago Mountains is an old adobe house with a solar well just waiting to be remodeled into the new headquarters. To the east is a large expansive flat with a series of large dirt tanks that hold water after summer monsoon rains. Serious limestone outcrops, bluffs, and canyons with wooded drainages and draws creates a feeling of owning your own National Park. Elevations range from just shy of 5,000 feet at Comb Peak to 3200 feet in the flats.

Habitats here are diverse with lower to mid elevation desert grasslands and scrubs, wooded canyons to pine-oak highlands and an array of Chihuahuan Desert grasses, forbs, shrubs, cactus, and trees. Plants include dagger, yucca, lechuguilla, creosote, catclaw, javalina bush, mariola, sotol, ocotillo, and cholla with a mix of chino grama, black grama, red grama, bear grass, and sideoats grama. Brush and trees include pinon pine, juniper, hackberry, mesquite, persimmon, sumac, mountain laurel, and oaks in the higher elevations and draws. In springtime this landscape is in bloom with a wide variety of cacti, yucca, daggers, and native forbs.

Wildlife

This property is home to many species of birds, raptors, songbirds, and game birds such as blue (scaled) quail, gamble quail, mourning dove, and white-winged dove as well as larger mammals such as desert mule deer, elk, javelina, aoudad, mountain lion, and occasional black bear. The brush, forbs, and grasses provide excellent habitat for these game and non-game animals. Wooded canyons are ideal for birdwatching and during spring and fall migration a myriad of neotropical songbirds.

Improvements

The ranch is a working cattle and hunting ranch with recently reworked waters and excellent internal roads. Mathews-Law is currently leased to a neighbor who has invested in waters, pens, fencing and roads. There is a hunting camp at the base of Comb Peak and there are a few large catchment tanks in the flats.

Water

There are four wells and a series of tanks, troughs and pipelines providing adequate livestock and wildlife waters throughout the ranch. Additionally, several large dirt tanks capture water in summer and provide dispersed waters.