From the pages of
The Sublette County Journal
Volume 5, Number 17 - 12/21/00
brought to you online by Pinedale Online


The Fayette Ranch: $25 million for 14,000+ acres.
3 More County Ranches for Sale
$25 million asking price for the Fayette Ranch sets a county record
by Rob Shaul

Three more Sublette County ranches, totaling approximately 18,600 deeded acres and over 1,000 animal units have been put on the sale block. Leading the way is the 14,000+ acre Fayette Ranch out the Pole Creek Road. The bulk of this ranch, 11,711 acres, is owned by the Christmann Corporation. Charles Christmann owns another 1,120 acres and Frances Christmann, 1,415 acres. This ranch has been owned by the Christmann family since the early 1980s.

The property was listed on December 1 with Hall & Hall of Jackson, according to agent John Pierce. Mr. Pierce would not comment on the asking price or total acreage being offered for sale by the Christmanns. According to local real estate sources, the Christmanns are asking $25 million for their 14,000+ acres. This sets an asking price record for Sublette County. The previous record was set by Jimmy Miller, who was asking $12 million for the Grindstone Ranch.

Les and Sherri Wilcox are asking $4 million for the Flying Heart Ranch on the Green River Road, 20 miles southwest of Pinedale. The property is listed with Pinedale's Allen Agency Real Estate. The Wilcoxes purchased the ranch in 1992.

According to Allen Agency's website, the Flying Heart has 1,685 deeded acres, and three miles of the Green River, a "blue ribbon trout stream" running through it. It's 900 acres of meadow can put up 200,000 tons of hay a season, and the ranch is rated at 500 animal units.

The 2,725-deeded-acre Pete Olson Ranch south of the Piney Cutoff (Highway 351) is listed with Coldwell Banker Real Estate of Jackson. The asking price is $3.5 million.

This ranch is being listed as a fishing property. It includes "three miles of both sides of the New Fork River and two miles, both sides of the Green River," according to the listing. The property has 1,000 acres of hay meadow and will support 400 animal units.

"It's just a sign of what's happening in the county," said Green River Valley Land Trust Executive Director Rod Rozier. "From a land trust perspective, once a ranch is on the market, our strategy is to get a conservation-minded buyer in touch with the ranch owner or his agent."

The Green River Valley Land Trust works with the Jackson Hole Land Trust and the Nature Conservancy to identify conservation-minded buyers with no intentions of subdividing ranches they purchase, said Mr. Rozier. "There are conservation-minded buyers out there," he says. "People who have purchased ranches without the intent to develop." These buyers work quietly, he continues, "The big splash are the Saypols" and other developers who subdivide the property.

Mr. Rozier encourages any ranchers considering putting their places on the market to contact the land trust "to see if we can help them in some manner before making the decision to sell." <

Photo credits:  Joyce Bohm

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Publisher/Editor: Rob Shaul   editor@scjonline.com