Big Goose Creek Ranch - SOLD!

Bighorn Mountain Backdrop

Big Goose in Winter

Nestled in the beautiful Bighorn Mountain Foothills and the agricultural Big Goose Creek Valley near the historic town of Beckton, is an opportunity to own a special small ranch. The Big Goose Creek Ranch has what everyone wants; creek, trees, irrigation, and mountain views. Most properties on the market here that have these same attributes, already have someone else’s idea of the perfect home and improvements. In this case, that part of the “canvas” awaits your imagination and “paintbrush”. Make this one yours with improvements that fit the backdrop and scenery.

The Bighorn Mountains, also known as the “shining mountains” grace the background, and what a stunning masterpiece they are. Just 10 miles west of the “cowboy-cosmopolitan” historic downtown Sheridan, this property gives you commanding views of these beautiful mountains, whether spring, summer, fall or winter. They loom right before your eyes and there’s almost nothing else in the viewshed to detract from the scenery.

Wildlife

Gobblers and Rafter

The north end of the property provides the tranquil riparian environment where a quarter mile of Big Goose Creek flows, supporting a nice trout fishery to test your angling skills and also incredible wildlife habitat loaded with deer, turkey, pheasant and other species, such as Sandhill cranes, while also hosting waterfowl. Almost the entirety of the property is irrigated with senior water rights, most of which is via a six-tower pivot and several side roll sprinklers for efficiency. Due to these valuable 1885 water rights, the property is not only green and beautiful for your enjoyment but provides feed for the wildlife and productivity to allow small-scale agricultural enterprises. Agricultural-based properties in Wyoming allow the owner to maintain agricultural status for the tax base, which is just another of Wyoming’s tax-friendly benefits.

History

This area has been home to famous horse and cattle operations. The ranch headquarters at the neighboring Beckton Stock Farm had a post office and a flour mill in the early 1880s. George Beck, founder of the town of Beckton, had a polo team and in 1893 played a game in Sheridan that drew over 1,000 spectators.

Polo became big in the area and in 1931, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s grandsons, Waldo and Cameron, founded Neponset Stud Farm at Beckton to raise polo ponies. Today, this area is still widely known for some of the best polo in the United States, and polo is played in Big Horn at the Big Horn Polo Club at the Big Horn Equestrian Center and at the Flying H Polo Club. In addition to polo, Beckton Stock Farm became the foundation herd of the Red Angus breed, where Waldo and Sal Forbes and subsequent generations have produced one of the most significant herds of cattle in the world.

Further to the West, Eatons Dude Ranch has been hosting and drawing people to the area since 1904. The oldest dude ranch, Eatons has been providing an outlet for people who want to enjoy our way of life. This “way of life” still exists the same today very much as it did over 100 years ago. It’s a place where people from all walks of life blend and enjoy the riches of a brand of cosmopolitan-cowboy culture, crafted from over 130 years of cowboys, polo, rodeo, ranching, dude ranches, hunting and fishing, outdoor recreation, arts and philanthropy. Born from an equestrian way of life, in a community that sprang up along the Bozeman Trail, the “Sheridan Lifestyle” is like none other and it has retained the sophistication of the early remittance men who first settled the area while maintaining the priceless simplicity and friendliness of neighbors helping neighbors in a rural setting. It’s a lifestyle that reduces stress and increases quality of life.

So, if you’re looking to achieve peace of mind in the “tax-friendliest” state, see how this property can allow you to enjoy all the beauty of our area and be part of one of the most highly acclaimed western communities and discover the “Sheridan Lifestyle” here in the coveted Bighorn Mountain Foothills.