Late oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens' vast Texas ranch finally sold after $60 million price cut

The sprawling Texas ranch of the late oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens has sold for a reduced price of $60 million after being on the market for five years. Located in the northeast corner of the Texas Panhandle, Mesa Vista spans more than 100 square miles, or about 37,000 acres, along 25 miles of the Canadian River.

According to toptenrealestatedeals.com, the estate includes a five-bedroom family house, a three-bedroom, 11,500-square-foot lakefront home, a 2,300-square-foot gatehouse with another three bedrooms, a private airport with a two-bedroom apartment for the pilot, the chapel where Pickens and his fifth wife were married, a 2,250-square-foot pub, a golf course, a tennis court and a 400-square-foot gun room.

The 25,000-square-foot lodge and conference center includes a living room, commercial kitchen, additional bedrooms, a library with a spiral staircase, a 30-seat theater/media room and a wine cellar. Additionally, the 11,000-square-foot kennel includes a veterinary lab and 3,600 square feet of enclosed, air-conditioned space. Pickens moved to Mesa Vista from the white frame house in Oklahoma where he grew up.

The ranch has an abundance of water, with Boone's Creek running through it and creating about 12 miles of streams, lakes, waterfalls and ponds, all man-made and recycled. One of Pickens Ranch's primary goals was to fertilize the land and return it to a wildlife oasis, much of which has been returned to its natural state of lush, native grasses, ungrazed. He was a leader in land conservation efforts that are now followed by many other ranchers in the United States.

Pickens purchased approximately 2,900 acres along the south bank of the Canadian River in Roberts County, Texas, in 1971. The only structural improvement constructed on the property was a small corrugated metal livestock feed shed, which Boone used as a shelter to keep warm while quail hunting.

Over the years, Boone began to collect more adjacent land along the Canadian River, and today Mesa Vista Ranch is a prime ranch covering over 100 square miles in the Eastern Texas Panhandle.

As Boone's business progressed, he invested millions of dollars to make Mesa Vista one of the best improved ranches in the country.

Pickens bought Mesa Vista's original 2,900 acres in 1971 and built a small corrugated metal livestock feed shed in which he would retreat while quail hunting, according to mesavistaranch.com. The property first came up for sale in 2017 for $250 million.

Pickens graduated from Oklahoma State University and painted the town of Mesa Vista in his favorite color, orange, which was also the color of his beloved Oklahoma State football team. In the early 2000s, Pickens donated more than $200 million to the school's athletic department. The school's football field was renamed Boone Pickens Stadium in 2003.

Pickens made his fortune in the oil and gas business and had a net worth of about $1 billion at the time of his death in 2019 at the age of 91.

The ranch was purchased by two individuals in two separate transactions. Rancher Travis Chester of Amarillo, Texas, purchased more than 27,000 acres in September 2022. Bill Kent of Midland, Texas, led a group that purchased the remainder of the ranch in November 2022. The prices of both transactions are undisclosed. The sale to Chester was for the real estate only, with minor improvements. Kent's purchase included all special improvements (lakefront home, lodge, dog kennels, airport, and several employee housing) and was essentially turnkey, including all art, furniture, and equipment.

According to the real estate agent, “The sale of Mesa Vista Ranch is essentially turnkey, with all rail cars, equipment, pickup trucks, hunting vehicles, farm equipment, furniture, bird dogs, etc. included.”