Spectacular Nevada Ranch Property Steeped in History Up for Grabs

The beginning of the 25 Ranch in Nevada included something that is probably de rigueur in a story taking place in the Wild West — a shootout.

But it’s also a tale of resilience and on good old-fashioned girl power. And the ranch properties that became 25 Ranch are now for sale, waiting for someone new to continue the history steeped in local lore and important ranching traditions.

Watkins Ranch Group, of Dallas-based Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty and Nevada-based Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty, listed the ranch this month. One of the largest and oldest ranches in Nevada, it spans four counties — Humboldt, Lander, Elko, and Eureka — and is located north of the town of Battle Mountain, Nevada.

The property is now made up of nearly 126,018 deeded acres and an additional 475,000 gracing acres privately leased and Bureau of Land Management-allotted.

It also has some of the most stunning vistas and views in what was once the Wild West, with mountains, streams, and valleys.

But the ranch got its start with Welshman W.T. Jenkins, who migrated to Nevada in the 1870s hoping to make money mining. When he didn’t strike gold or silver, he opted to ranch, raising sheep and cattle. 

And the story might’ve ended with Jenkins fading into the sunset, a smaller parcel of land passing on through his children and grandchildren until someone decided to sell, if it hadn’t been for a fatal gunfight between the sheep farmer and Joe Dean, a cattleman who tried to get Jenkins to leave the country, The Elko Daily Free Press said.

Jenkins won that gunfight, and then merged several other ranches that had been operated under the W.T. Jenkins Company and Russell Land and Cattle Company into one big ranch – the 25 Ranch.

But the tenacity didn’t skip a generation, either. His daughter, Louise Jenkins Marvel, took over ranch operations at the tender age of 18, building the family business through the Great Depression (she even paid off everyone she owed), and being voted the first woman to become cattleman of the year in 1962.

Nowadays, the working ranch includes a main residence, multiple dwellings, barns, corrals, shops, and support buildings. It also holds many vested and decreed water rights, dating back to the 1870s.

“Rarely do you see properties of this size, with such a large amount of grazing acreage and water rights, come to market anywhere in the country,” said Asher Watkins, the ranch’s exclusive listing agent, with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty and Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty. “This is a serious chunk of land.”

It’s also a hunter’s paradise, with many species of big game and birds — everything from elk to wild turkey and more.

In addition to being the perfect second shelter ranch property, the new owner will get 50 percent of all owned oil and gas (with an acceptable offer). Pasture cattle owned by several entities are run by the ranch in separate allotments and fields on an annual basis, with a potential gross income of $1.3 million.

“If the new owner had their own cattle operation, they could potentially triple this figure,” Watkins said.

“The 25 Ranch represents a once-in-a-lifetime chance to own an actual piece of Wild West history,” added Watkins. “You can picture the standoffs that took place on the land, and the wagon trains and miners that traversed it. Today, you can live out dreams of having a large cattle operation and riding across your ranch on horseback, tending to livestock or simply gazing out over your vast expanse of land, blissfully, while it makes money for you.”

The 25 Ranch is listed for $36.525 million by Asher Watkins with Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s and Sierra Sotheby’s. To see more, click here.