A property of profound historical significance and immense operational scale, the Reservoir & Sublette Flat Ranch is a landmark property in the heart of the American West. This vast landscape is a productive, large-scale grazing operation that also serves as a living museum, containing a historic ford of the Oregon Trail and the path of the Sublette Cutoff. It is also a critical wildlife epicenter, lying directly in a major migration corridor that sees as many as 15,000 antelope traverse the ranch annually. With miles of river frontage and 10 miles of shoreline on the Big Sandy Reservoir, this unit offers an incredible combination of agriculture, history, and recreation.
The Land & Operation
This is a massive grazing operation with a carrying capacity of 1,000-1,200 pair for an eight-month season (May 1 – Jan 1). The land base consists of 9,500 total AUMs and is organized into eight fenced grazing blocks, all with independent water supplies. The land tenure is composed of:
- Deeded: 1,980± acres.
- State Lease: 9,177± acres.
- Total BLM allotments: 343,550± acres
- Custodial BLM Allotments: Dewey Place and Pulley Place
- Private BLM Allotments: Reservoir and Sublette
- In-Common BLM Allotment: Eighteen Mile
- Trailing BLM Allotments: Big Sandy, Boundary, Highway Gasson, Little Sandy, and Sands (528,551± acres).
Of the total AUMs, 8,485 are from general BLM allotments, with an additional 720 AUMs in the Pulley Place and 300 AUMs in the Dewey Place.
Water, Fencing & Improvements
The ranch is exceptionally well-watered and well-managed. The Reservoir Allotment is completely fenced, as are the Dewey and Pulley Place allotments. The Sublette Allotment has two catchpens for cattle, and its north boundary is fenced. Improvements include cattle facilities on deeded ground within the Dewey Place, a well for the working pens, and a cattle staging area. For sheep, there are three sets of sheep corrals and a sheep handling facility.
Water resources are extensive and include:
- Surface Rights: 1.48 cfs for 104 acres, with a priority date of 1920.
- Reservoir: The John Arambel Reservoir provides 344 acre- feet of storage with a priority date of 2007.
- Wells: 4 artesian wells (priority dates 1904, 2003, 2005) and 4 pump wells (priority dates 2009, 2011, 2017, 2022), including three submersible pumps and a new solar well in the Reservoir Allotment.
- Springs: Three springs with priority dates of 1907 and 1945.
- Water infrastructure: Existing at Dewey Place. Water may be available from the Big Sandy Reservoir.
History, Recreation & Wildlife
The recreational and historical assets are unparalleled. The ranch contains approximately 7.25 miles of land along the Big Sandy River (3 miles deeded, 3.5 miles state, 0.75 miles federal allotment) and another 4.5 miles of deeded land on both sides of the river on the Pulley Place, offering excellent sport fishing for rainbow and brown trout. The property also controls ten miles of shoreline on the Big Sandy Reservoir, which is shared with the Bureau of Reclamation and includes two deeded tracts of floodplain. The reservoir is stocked with rainbow trout and is a haven for sandhill cranes, ducks, Canadian geese, and other waterfowl.
The ranch is a sanctuary for wildlife and a treasure of American history. It hosts several hundred mule deer and annually sees 15,000 antelope migrate across its vast reaches. A resident herd of 150 elk is also present, along with moose, grouse, coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, and eagles. There are also multiple species of gamebirds, including turtle doves, blue grouse, sage grouse, ducks, Canadian geese and sandhill cranes.
History is etched into the land, with extensive fossil deposits on deeded ground, the Ten Trees historic site, and the historic pioneer Sublette Cutoff river ford for the Oregon Trail. The Pulley Place contains immigrant carvings, remnants of a US Cavalry Station, and other historic artifacts. Mineral rights are negotiable.
The Midland Ranch Unit 4: The Reservoir & Sublette Flat Ranch is a distinct and remarkable property offered for individual sale. Prospective buyers should be aware that it is also a key component of the legendary Midland Ranch, a legacy-scale holding of over one million acres which is being offered in its entirety. This larger portfolio represents a complete, year-round operation stretching from the timbered high country to the arid expanse of the Red Desert, encompassing world-class water rights, wildlife resources, and historical significance. While each unit stands powerfully on its own merits, the opportunity to acquire the complete Midland Ranch is a singular event in the western ranch market.
