David Fasken, a Canadian, bought a ranch in West Texas in 1913. CNN founder Ted Turner, 4. logging industry Reed. 22. Roughly equal to: Half the size of Yosemite National Park. 13. There are nearly 2,000 different species! Offering competitive leases is only the start. 140,000 acres McDonald family: 474,000 acres in Alabama, Florida, and Oklahoma but the majority of the family's land holdings are in Maine. The park also boasts abundant wildlife populations, including large herds of elk, deer, bison, and antelope. Kroenke is married to Ann Walkton Kroenke, an heiress to the Wal-Mart fortune. There is alsoAnne Marion who owns 275,000 acres in Texas, including the famous 6666, or "Four Sixes" cattle ranch in the Southern Panhandle, which is close to 150 years old. Florida land developers who were key in the creation of Big Cyprus National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, and numerous country clubs built around nature preserves. All told, the 50 individuals, families, and heirs on this list own over 31 million acres or about 1.4% of the countrys total landmass. Before he passed away last year, an employee gave Robert Earl Holding a plaque that echoed his credo: All I want is the land next to mine. That land includes ski resorts in Utah and a whole lot of real estate in Salt Lake City, all of which he built from a small stake in a Wyoming truck stop. Background: Toronto attorney David Fasken started buying land in Texas in 1913. The type of resources that help them manage their land responsibly and sustainably. Heres how it breaks down between each division: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) handles 54.7% of the land, followed by the U.S. Forest Service at 37.4%. Roughly equal to: Twice the size of Singapore. Their properties include the massive La Escalera ranch in far West Texas. 230,000 acres Singleton family: 1.1 million acres in New Mexico and California. 125,000 acres 6. Eugene Gabrych has no idea. 301,500 acres Today, the familys private holdings in Texas and Florida make up one of the largest cattle operations in the country. Thomas Lane Jr. makes the ranching business sound simple: Were just continuing a tradition and well expand if we can.. Herbert Westervelt started a paper company in the late 1800s. They are holding all that land for future development or mineral exploration. And the land, while private, is still use for commercial purposes, the 24/7 Wall Street investigation found. He owns Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa, located close to Richard Bransons Spaceport America. Roughly equal to: Two-thirds the size of Yosemite National Park. Ol A.S. bequeathed the private land to his daughters. That means the federal government controls 31.7% of the state's land. Collectively, the Robinson and Freed families own 300,000 acres in partnership. New Mexico is known for its rugged terrain, ancient history, and connections to popular culture. New Mexico is a big state. 175,000 acres 130,000 acres Not that were keeping score, but the W.T. Roughly equal to: 2,500 times the size of Vatican City. Greenpeace calls them the king pins of climate denial and Mitt Romney can thank them for holding a $50,000-dollar-a-plate fundraiser during the election. Ted Turner: 2 million acres in New Mexico, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Georgia. 535,000 acres By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Forget accusations of slave labor practices at the Fanjuls sugar plantations in the Dominican Republic. The family's 1.1 million acres of land also includes land in California. Much of Turner's land is used as grazing land for over 50,000 head of buffalo the largest private herd of bison in the world. Thank you for reading! Their holdings outside New Mexico include the Peachtree and Top ranches in John Steinbecks Salinas Valley. The land conservancy act will protect more than 500 species of vertebrates. In one letter to Ronald Reagan, he explained how, Privatization dates back at least to Adam Smith, Plato, Aristotle and Jesus.. The islands ranch closed in 1999, leaving animals to roam freely and almost all residents to leave for other parts of the state. With plans underway for a major expansion of the aerospace industry, Bezos will no doubt be a major player in the states future. Boswell Co. is the nations leading cotton grower. 135,000 acres Sandwiched between Flagstaff Arizona and the Grand Canyon, the Babbitt Ranches have a reputation for breeding trophy quarter horses. The US in total has 2.4 billion acres, and is the third largest country in the world after Canada and Russia, the latter being the largest and covering 11.5 per cent of the planet. The Faskens have several major properties in West Texas. 125,000 acres Take Jeff Bezos, for example. The 25 biggest landowners in America own 20 million acres -- nearly 1% of the country -- according to new data from The Land Report. Among the soccer teams, railroads, movie theaters and newspaper, the Denver billionaire has enough land for what will be one of the largest wind farms in the country. Background: The sports mogul who got his start in real estate just became the majority owner of the St. Louis Rams. The Barta family, which owes its wealth to its prescription services company, Sav-Rx, now owns one of the largest cattle ranching operations in Nebraska. According the company, it turns out that Frac Techs specialty-hydraulic fracturing is one of the two drivers powering the U.S. energy renaissance. In 1870, Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes gave up the practice of medicine to take over his familys 500 acres in Florida. Then there's Subway sandwich shop franchise founder Peter Buck, who at No. Since then, they have been acquiring land. The decrease is a result of homesteading and land grants. The rest is history. The oil and gas business man developed a love for land on his grandparents farm. 34. 278,000 acres Texas Republicans' solution:Giant wind farms, Roughly equal to: The size of Luxembourg. All these logging guys love to tote the sustainability of their operations. Discover the Little-Known U.S. River Gorge That's, The 9 Best Books About National Parks for Travelers, Discover 8 Extinct Animals from New Mexico, Meet the 4 Largest Land Owners in Arizona, The 15 Deepest Lakes in the United States. According to his company bio, investor Arthur Nicholas made his fortune by systematizing, the process of using dynamic quantitative models to find value-added performance. He may or may not be talking about his cow and horse breeding efforts in Wyoming. 180,000 acres 32. 10. He owns ranches in Texas, New Mexico and Kentucky. CNN founder Ted Turner owns 2 million acres of land largely in New Mexico, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Georgia. Courtesy of Washington State Dept. His land ownership in New Mexico will likely expand as the space industry develops. The owners of the land are heirs to the late Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes, who left a career in medicine to raise cattle and crow citrus. John Malone is the largest private landowner in the United States. 41. 36 to 40 Ted Turner is not the biggest. Holland Ware owns over half a million acres of land primarily in Florida and Georgia. Malone's 2.2 million acres are largely located in Maine, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming and include profitable cattle ranches. For reference, onesquare mile is equal to 640 acres. here is a look at how much land the government owns in every state, The Land Report magazines 2018 Land Report, Growing 600lbs of gourmet mushrooms a week, Wisconsin's dairy industry would collapse without them, Here is a look at the richest person in every state, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Malone Mitchell 3rd:336,000 acres in Texas. When your ranch surrounds a For Union National Monument in Northern New Mexico, you have to think slightly beyond raising cattle. The federal government is the top landowner in New Mexico, controlling over 24 million acres. The combined landholdings belonged to former Texas governor, the late Dolph Briscoe Jr. 12. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Lay folks like to hear land measured in acres or square miles, but the Killiam prefer animal units the measure of how many cows an area can graze. Hadley family: 260,000 acres including the huge Diamond A Ranch, which takes up a good part of New Mexico's southwestern tip. Her goal is to ensure they receive fair market value. Few can claim the title of cowboy philanthropist. Other than running significant cattle farms, Mechenbier and his wife help finance orphanages in New Mexico. While this list only includes privately held land, nearly all of it serves some commercial purpose from farming and ranching to logging and renewable energy production. The vast majority of the land held by the individuals and families on this list is located in states west of the Mississippi River. The Singleton family owns 1,110,000 acres in New Mexico and California. By
Brad Kelley's investment group purchased the 762-acre Calumet Farm, a thoroughbred horse breeding and training facility in Kentucky, in 2012. The top 100 landowners of America, who collectively own about the same amount of acreage as the state of Connecticut. 317,677 acres Ranches in Wyoming and Montana; ski resorts in Utah and Idaho; six other luxury hotels and resorts across the country, including The Grand American Hotel in Salt Lake City. Roughly equal to: Five times the size of Chicago. His Mare Pasture development will integrate high-end commercial and residential development with vineyards, orchards, gardens, greenhouses and plenty of land for grass-fed beef. Family members are long-time cattle ranchers. 384,000 acres Land: Operates 825,000 acres of cattle ranches and 60,000 acres of farms in South Texas; thousands of acres in Florida producing orange juice, sugar cane, sod, sweet corn and green beans. of Ecology, Goldman's Top Economist Says There Are Only Two Scenarios, Bad And Very Bad >. It is a wonderful life. Kizer's farming and ranching operations produce peanuts, corn, wheat, dairy and cattle. Collier was the largest landholder in the state at the time of his death. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. These Gardens Started When Travel Slowed. Bird populations:Here's how we can save them. Anne Marion: 275,000 acres in Texas, including the famous 6666, or "Four Sixes" cattle ranch in the Southern Panhandle, which is close to 150 years old. A recent deal to take Dole private makes Murdock the sole owner of 25,000 acres in Hawaii. steve@mfi-miami.com; Free Call: (888) 737-6344; . 1,860,000 acres 170,000 acres Roughly equal to: Eighty times the size of Los Angeles International Airport. Malone Mitchell runs Longfellow Ranches, a 500 square mile hunting preserve located in West Texas. The "9" continues under third- and fourth-generation ownership, exemplifying the ranching heritage and tradition. Family members run renewable energy, lumber and wildlife services. 152,000 acres Owned the 06 Ranch nearly a century after its founding. An advertisement VanderSloott took out in Idaho Falls Post Register accused a reporter of bringing personal politics to a report on child molestation in a local Boy Scout troop when the reporter had not made his sexuality public. Ira Wines, who works the familys prized Spanish Ranch, doesnt have times for greenhorns. The activities help residents experience the natural world. The former Reebok CEO now owns James Stewarts old ranch in Nevada and has grazing rights to another three-quarter of a million acres. Much of the land is used to grow crops like wheat, corn, and sorghum. St. Louis businessman Leo Drey began making sizable donations of Missouri forest land to the non-profit in the 1960s. 1,100,000 acres Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke has even more land, coming in at No. Will Moursund runs the ranches now, but father A.W. How big is the Vermejo ranch in New Mexico? Sumary of Meet the 3 Largest Landowners in New Mexico:New Mexico top landowners are shaping the future of this unique state, making it a mind-blowing place to live, work, and play.You could plan the ultimate fishing trip or hike in the state stunning National Parks.There so much private land, too, with nearly 50 acres for every person in the state.Learn more about the scenic state of New . Peterffy,a refugee from Hungary, made his fortunes as an investor. The terrain is diverse and spectacular to see. Heart of America, a song he co-wrote with his wife, became the anthem of the Today shows campaign to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Land 100 is great, but Forbes list of billionaires gets way more personal. Why has the federal governments ownership of land been decreasing? Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Fleet-footed cop chases an offender riding a scooter, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up. 16. Emmerson family:2.0 million acres in California and Washington. 24. Shannon Kizer: 302,000 acres inArizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. 27 febrero, 2023 . The Bass family, at No. 8. This businessman has ranch holdings in Texas, Florida, and New Mexico. New Mexico officials found 1000 emaciated cows on his ranch last May. 110,448 acres He is now buried somewhere on the premises. 50. Lucien Bonaparte Maxwell (September 14, 1818 - July 25, 1875) was a mountain man, rancher, scout, and farmer who at one point owned more than 1,700,000 acres (6,900 km 2).Along with Thomas Catron and Ted Turner, Maxwell was one of the largest private landowners in United States history. Today, his family owns some 280,000 acres, primarily in Collier County, which is named after him. 43. 263,066 acres D.R. 1,250,000 acres Family members run a long-time lumber business. 145,000 acres Background: Holland Ware's fortunes in the timber industry began in the early 50s with his first purchase of 100 acres for $10 when he was 15 years old. Philip Anschutz owns 434,500 acres of land in Wyoming and Colorado. The foundation now protects land all across the Ozarks. You could spend weeks exploring the property. Ford family: 580,000 acresin Oregon. Contact the AZ Animals editorial team. Bezos has also invested millions of dollars into the development of Spaceport America. Thomas Peterffy arrived in the United States as a refugee from Hungary in 1965. Kokernot heirs:278,000 acres in Texas. The Killam family deals largely in cattle and oil, with ranches in Texas and Oregon and oil operations in Louisiana, Nebraska, Kansas, Arkansas, and Texas. 23. Theyve been ranching Oklahoma for over a century, but you may know Ree Dummond best, who joined the family when she married Lee Drummond. Now you know the top three landowners in New Mexico. 422,164 acres The family harvests hardwood timber from the land. As the founder of Cable News Network and now vice chairman of Time Warner, Ted Turner is famous, even legendary. (If youve made it to #81, that joke is especially for you. Ted Turner owns one million acres in New Mexico. Roughly equal to: The size of Los Angeles. The familys CS Ranch in Northern New Mexico specializes in breeding prime quarter horses, like stallion Roosters Shorty, who is up for stud on the website. Today, his family owns some 280,000 acres, primarily in Collier County, which is named after him. Hughes family: 390,000 acres in Texas. The Barta family, which owes its wealth to its prescription services company, Sav-Rx, now owns one of the largest cattle ranching operations in the state. 25 had died from starvation. This put them at the top of the list for the largest landowners in New Mexico. Background: The Ford familys Roseburg Forest Products had its origins in 1936 when the Roseburg Lumber Company was founded by owner Kenneth Ford. Mike Smith:295,980 acres in Texas. At their production sale, the Powell Family promises cows with, a heavily muscled quarter with a thick loin designed for maximum performance. Their investments demonstrate the potential of private land ownership in New Mexico and its value to people and nature. Loves oil investment, ranching and Mitt Romney; not a fan of gay reporters knocking the Boy Scouts of America. Whatever your politics, you cant deny their love for cattle. The 40 Largest Private Landowners in New Mexico Nos. The Irving family is the sixth largest private landholder in the United States. King Ranch heirs: 911,215 acres inTexas. Of the many fowls he has sired, the family says, we havent found anything we dont like about them.. Since then, they have been acquiring land. Ancestor Captain Samuel Burnett negotiated a 300,000 acre lease with famed Comanche leader Quanah Parker. He relied on friend Teddy Roosevelt when he needed a two-year extension of the lease. CNN founder Ted Turner may own more land in New Mexico than his friend and longtime business partner John Malone who bought the 290,100-acre Bell Ranch in northeastern New Mexico in 2010, but . 200,000 acres (Say that ten times fast). Have some feedback for us? 44. Oil and drilling profits helped him buy a sportsmans paradise in the Big Bend area of Far West Texas. Thomas Peterffy:581,000 acres in Florida. Babbitt heirs:275,000 acres in Arizona. But shes upset local interests. With over 77 million acres of land, theres plenty of room for people and nature to coexist. 220,000 acres He has used portions of those settlement to buy three ranches where he hunts, raises cattle, and one might hope, doesnt smoke. Estimates are based on information from published reports, online databases, tax records, and information provided by various landowners, and include only rural land holdings. Climbed the rankings this year by adding land between Dallas and Waco to his Texas panhandle holdings. Today, his living family members own over 311,000 acres of land in northern California and western Pennsylvania. Richard Bransons spaceport is just a quick drive away. The BLM manages public lands and resources, including promoting recreational access. Lyda family: 260,035 acres, including La Escalera ranch in far West Texas. 28. Estimates were based on information from published reports, online databases, tax records and information provided by various land owners. Theres so much private land, too, with nearly 50 acres for every person in the state. Together, his family owns 390,000 acres. 38. 165,000 acres 48. John Riggs has a modern utopia in mind for his great-grandfathers old ranch. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Land: 830,000 acres of timberland in Maine. Broe's Hubble & Green Ranches in New Mexico cover 290,000 acres. That includes seven productive cattle operations and two farms. Turner's land is used by more than 50,000 head of buffalo for grazing - the largest private herd of bison in the world. Stimson family:552,000 acres in Montana and Oregon. 28 to 35 | Nos. Roughly equal to: One-fifth the size of Delaware. Stan Kroenke: 1.4 million acres in Montana and Wyoming. His space firm Blue Origin uses it to test. 400,000 acres David Pingree, known as the Merchant Prince of Salem, built an empire that exceeded 1 million acres in the 1800s. The family patriarch owned half a million acres in Texas, and the family fortune grew considerably when his son discovered oil on family land. While over a quarter of all land in the United States is owned by the federal government here is a look at how much land the government owns in every state vast swaths of the country are owned by just a handful of individuals and families. Its his 18,000-acre Rock Springs Ranch at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains). Background: Gerald Lyda's success in construction and land development in the 70s allowed him to return to ranching and amass over 900,000 acres within his lifetime. Roughly equal to: The size of the Hawaiian Island of Kaua'i. The wife and children of the late Robert Earl Holding, who bought Sinclair Oil Corp. for $78 million in 1976, own nearly 400,000 acres. Shannon's farming and ranching operations produce peanuts, corn, wheat, dairy, and cattle. 37. Family members runlumber, newspapers, and petrochemicals businesses. By the way, what is it about land that makes people want to number their children? Fasken family . The family raises cattle and grows citrus. it's curious that the largest private landowner in America chose an office location, an hour from . The company, now known as Westervelt Company, has operations in renewable energy, lumber, and wildlife services. 434,500 acres The Hamer family owns some 600,000 acres of land, largely forest in West Virginia. Sounds like the perfect setting for a combination of Gunsmoke and Beverly Hills: 90210. Do fence them in. With such a large amount of land under its control, the federal government plays an important role in New Mexicos landscape. 200,000 acres Westervelt's heirs own over half a million acres across Alabama, Mississippi, and Virginia. 23:50 GMT 25 Nov 2019 Jeff Bezos:420,000 acres in Texas. Of all the grandpa-bought-some-land stories in this list, this is the best. 42. What Lives At The Bottom of The Mississippi River? Ralph R. Ortega For Dailymail.com, 443,091 acres in Idaho. Kroenke adds Broken O to Q Creek Ranch, the largest contiguous ranch in the Rocky Mountains at 540,000 acres. The family-run business has earned high praise from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. 8. . 166,655 acres This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. The 25 Largest Landowners In The U.S.: #25.Jeff Bezos 290,000 Acres Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos bought a 290,000 acre ranch in Texas in 2004. They love tradition. A 1910 advertisement for his bulls ran, Big-Bones, Broad-Backed, Bald-Faced Beauties-Buy Bar-Cross Bulls- Brites Best. Not bad. New Mexico, Texas, Florida, and Oregon. . This hedge fund manager wears his Audubon Medal with pride. Roughly equal to: Twice the size of Badlands National Park. 100,000 acres Much of the land is in Texas. Collier family: 280,000 acres, primarily in Collier County, Florida. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. A third generation now steers the Monahan Cattle Co. in Nebraska. Fisher family:440,000 acres in California. 189,000 acres Collier was the largest landholder in the state at the time of his death. Roughly equal to: The size of San Antonio. Ware has transferred much of his holdings to the Holland M. Ware Charitable Foundation, which supports a number of causes, including animal welfare. For a basic sense of how the world of ultra-massive real estate has changed, heres one fact: Between 2012 and 2013, the top 100 added 700,000 acres to their collective portfolios, bringing their total to two percent of the U.S. land mass. Loves land and his wife loves horses, which explains #1s 2013 acquisitions. Were basically just marketing grass, he told Western Horseman, and the cows are a way to market the grass.. The mammoth ranch spans eight Nebraska counties and yields plenty of alfalfa and millet for the herd. 433,000 acres 150,000 acres With such a distinguished pedigree, no one can doubt that he will, comments San Antonio Man Magazine. Land: Idaho, agribusiness. Irving family:1.2 million acres in Maine. Using data from The Land Report magazines 2018 Land Report, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 50 largest private landholders in the United States. Bass family Land. The largest landowner in America owns 2,200,000 acres, located largely in Maine, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming. We think of William Randolph Hearst as the newspaper mogul whispering Rosebud to an empty room, but the family fortune started with land. 275,000 acres Boyd's Frying Pan Ranch was originally made up of 95 sections in the Texas Panhandle, which was one of the first areas to test out barbed-wire fencing over 130 years ago. 18. Roughly equal to: Three-quarters of Grand Canyon National Park. 112,600 acres Land: Oil and gas divisions throughout the West and Southwest; timber units across Maine, Oklahoma, and the Southeast. Background: Phillip Anschutz's company has investments in energy exploration, telecommunications and agribusiness. Roughly equal to: One-tenth the size of Connecticut. Then theres the Department of Defense handling 4.6% of the land. Background: Malone has served in executive positions in telecommunications firms and is currently the chairman of Liberty Media Corp. Land: 1.2 million acres of forests in Maine. Manages ranches only fit for the best cowboys. The family behind logging company Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) with land holdings twice the size of Rhode Island. The Singleton family owns a number of ranches, mostly in New Mexico. For five generations, the Reed Family has owned and operated the logging company Green Diamond Resource Co. 13/20 Henry Singleton cofounded the industrial conglomerate Teledyne in 1960, and begin acquiring ranch land in New. The McDonald family's 474,000 acres are spread across Alabama, Florida, and Oklahoma but the majority of the family's land holdings is in Maine. Billionaire, lumber entrepreneur, real estate developer, and song writer. 1. The Lydas are Texas cattle ranchers and landowners. While true to their legendary ranching roots, the heirs of King Ranch Inc. have diversified their portfolio to include land for pecans, citrus, turf grass and vegetables. Hamer family:600,000 acres in West Virginia. Today, between his fifth, sixth, and seventh generation of descendants, Pingree's heirs own some 830,000 acres mostly in Maine through Seven Islands Land Co., a lumber company. What David Pingree purchased from 100 different Maine townships in 1840 is now an ecologically managed forest supplying hardwood floors to the world. These cookies do not store any personal information. 2. 14 to 21 | Nos. Lykes heirs:615,000 acres in Texas. Pingree heirs:830,000 acres in Maine. A good old picture of the American heartland. Just as theres a language around buying a car, theres a dialect for selling bull semen. The 90-year-old CEO of Dole Food Company plans to live to 125 on what the The New York Times calls a diet of messianic correctness that can, and will, ward off major disease in a 2011 magazine piece. The most common exceptions to this rule are parcels located in Maine and Florida. 47. Family members are mostly sheep and cattle ranchers who owe some of their wealth to the discovery of uranium and coal on their property. The combined landholdings of former Texas governor, the late Dolph Briscoe Jr., heirs total 640,000 acres.