McElmo Creek Estate

$4,800,000 71 Acres Cortez , Colorado Montezuma County

Ranch Property Brief

McElmo Creek Estate is a one-of-a-kind gorgeous ranch where the desert Southwest meets the lush irrigated cottonwood creek bottoms of McElmo Creek. The owners brought back to life old homestead structures, painstakingly restoring, each designed and furnished to tell its own story. The ranch is complete with water rights and irrigated fields. Once in a lifetime opportunity to own a truly special property. Dreams are fulfilled and memories made at McElmo Creek!

Area

Located in the southwest corner of Colorado, McElmo Creek Estate is in an area steeped in Native American culture and history. It is also a very popular area for tourists and recreation. The Four Corners Monument is less than an hour, Mesa Verde National Park just 40 minutes, and Canyon of the Ancients National Monument and Hovenweep National Monument lie just to the north.

The Area offers incredible southwest vistas of carved sandstone canyons and mesas. The sunsets will never disappoint and will leave you wondering about ancient cultures that once lived there.

Access

The property is accessed by paved county road frontage.

Elevation, Topography, Vegetation

The ranch sits along the banks of McElmo Creek surrounded by lush irrigated pastures with majestic cottonwoods shading the cool water as it makes its way to the San Juan River. The elevation of the ranch is approximately 5,100 feet above sea level.

Water Rights

Water rights in proportion to the irrigated fields will transfer. The ranch has approximately 52 acres of irrigated fields with plenty of water. In the arid warm climate of the Southwest, it is possible to get 3 cuttings of hay.

Improvements

It will be hard to find another ranch that has improvements as impeccably maintained. The current owners spent the past 15 years rebuilding, restoring, renovating, and adding to the old homestead structures. The quality and attention to detail are apparent in every direction. With a main ranch house, 3 guest cabins/houses, and a reception barn, McElmo Creek is set up for numerous operating options.

Ranch House
2500 +/- sqft
4 bedrooms
2 baths

Settler House
1800 +/- sqft
3 bedrooms
1.5 bath

Rock House
1500 +/- sqft
3 bedroom
1 bath

Log Cabin
400 +/- sqft
1 bedroom
1 bath

Caretaker’s Cabin
650 +/- Sqft
1 bedroom
1 bath

Reception Barn
1800 +/- sqft

Metal open-sided hay barn
Corrals
Livestock shelters
Greenhouse
Supporting structures.

Ag Uses

The ranch is an excellent small production agriculture operation that can offer farm to table guest ranch operations as well as supply produce and meats to local restaurants. The ranch is capable of raising, cattle, sheep, goats, chickens, and other domestic livestock as well as produce grass and alfalfa hay (approximately 2 tons per acre) and raise multiple crops in a large garden and greenhouse. There are also several types of fruit trees including pear, apricot, and apple trees. The ranch qualifies as organic as no chemicals have been used in 15 years.

Video

McElmo Creek Estate For Sale

Broker Comments

All units of measure and maps showing property boundaries are approximate. Buyer to verify to their own satisfaction.
This property is offered by John Hayter Inc, DBA Ranch Marketers. All information provided by Ranch Marketers or their sales representatives in connection with this property was acquired from sources deemed reliable and is believed to be accurate and reliable, however, we do not warrant its accuracy or completeness. Ranch Marketers recommends that every item of importance to the purchaser (i.e. water laws, mineral laws, zoning, land use regulations, state, federal and private permits) be independently verified by the purchaser and/or purchaser’s attorney.

Property Summary

TOTAL ACRES: 71 +/-

DEEDED- 71 +/-

COUNTY: Montezuma County, Colorado

ZONING: Agricultural

ELEVATION: 5,100 ft

TOPOGRAPHY: Flat Pasture and creek bottom

VEGETATION: Cottonwoods, pasture grasses and legumes, alfalfa

ESTIMATED INCOME: $250,000-$300,000

BUILDING DETAILS

HOME: 2500 +/- SqFt

BEDROOMS: 4
BATHROOMS: 2
OTHER BUILDINGS:
Settler House
1800 +/- sqft
3 bedrooms
1.5 bath


Rock House
1500 +/- sqft
3 bedroom
1 bath


Log Cabin
400 +/- sqft
1 bedroom
1 bath


Caretaker’s Cabin
650 +/- Sqft
1 bedroom
1 bath


Reception Barn
1800 +/- sqft


Metal open-sided hay barn
Corrals
Livestock shelters
Greenhouse
Supporting structures

Cortez And Montezuma County Colorado Farms, Ranches and Sporting Properties

Cortez is the county seat of Montezuma County and was named after the conquistador Herman Cortes. Cortez was established in 1886 as housing for the workers that were constructing the tunnels and ditches to divert water from the Dolores River.

This area of Southwest Colorado is very well known for the numerous Native American Indian sites. The most well known of these being Mesa Verde National Park. There a numerous other lesser-known sites well worth visiting.
  • Hovenweep National Monument
  • Yucca House National Monument
  • Cannonball Ruins
  • Crow Canyon Archeological Site
  • Mud Springs Pueblo
  • Canyons of the Ancients


The Cortez area has a long history of farming and ranching. You will find excellent farms along the numerous stream and rivers of the area often raising alfalfa, grass hay and other crops as well as raising cattle and sheep. You will also find numerous orchards and more recently some vineyards are starting to establish in the area.

Ranching in the Cortex and Dolores area also has a long history in the area getting its start back in the late 1800s.

The area has become a very popular tourist area but also has continued to have a strong agricultural economy.

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