Courtesy photo
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — A family with longtime ties to Colorado recently purchased the Motherwell Ranch south of Hayden for $27 million.
Retired petrochemical executive James L. Gallogly bought the 10,350-acre ranch under Gallogly GP, LLC, from the Adams family, a nationally-known rodeo family from Nevada whose patriarch spent four decades building the Motherwell Ranch into a world-class multi-use ranch that boasts three natural alpine lakes. The Williams Fork River also runs through it.
“We look forward to being part of the community,” said Gallogly through his real estate broker, Harrigan Land Company, of Sedalia, Colorado. “Our family will continue to improve and preserve this legacy ranch for generations to come. We recognize our responsibility to be good stewards of some of God’s greatest creations.”
Gallogly is no stranger to Colorado, having graduated from high school and college in Colorado Springs before acquiring two more advanced degrees in Oklahoma and Chicago. He proceeded to make his fortune in the petrochemical business at companies like Phillips and Chevron. Gallogly currently serves as a trustee for the University of Colorado.
Realtor Brian Smith with Hall and Hall, which specializes in ranch sales, represented the sellers. The property was originally listed for sale at $33.5 million.
“I know it sounds like a cliché, but honestly, this ranch has it all,” Smith said. “I’ve been blessed to be on a number of cool ranches in my lifetime, and this is at the top of the list.”
The ranch is located south of Hayden along the north flank of the Flat Tops Mountains and rises 2,500 feet in elevation from the Williams Fork River to its upper boundary with Routt National Forest.
No public roads run through the ranch, and it can be accessed through Routt County Road 29 via C.R. 53 from Hayden.
“The fact that the ranch encompasses over 16 square miles of extraordinary diversity and beauty all in one contiguous and private block of land makes it extremely rare,” Smith said.
Motherwell, named after the Scottish hometown of one of its original settlers, is known both as a working and sporting ranch with world class fishing and big game hunting. In fact, the ranch sits smack dab in the middle of elk migration.
Real estate broker Hunter Harrigan, of Harrigan Land Company, said the Gallogly family will continue agriculture operations on the ranch, which includes cattle and haying, but whether the hunting lodge and sporting privileges will be open to private sportsmen or exclusive events is still undecided.
The ranch went up for sale six years after owner Wes Adams died in 2011. Smith said Adams spent years growing the ranch from about 4,000 acres to its current 10,350 acres, buying up private land and National Forest Land until he had one contiguous piece of property. Adams also built an equestrian’s dream facility, which would become a place for his six children to practice their rodeo and horse craft at a pro level.
Harrigan said the new buyers currently split their time between Colorado and Texas.
They’re a “conservation-minded family who owns other ranches in Colorado, Utah and Oklahoma through affiliated companies,” Harrigan said. “Privacy, habitat diversity, abundant fish and wildlife, excellent agricultural facilities and proximity to air service and resort amenities were important factors that attracted the buyer.”
The Motherwell Ranch rises from an elevation of 6,635 to 9,200 feet and includes alfalfa meadows, grazing lands, aspen and subalpine forests and dramatic sandstone cliffs that rise above the Williams Fork River. It is also home to elk, mule deer, bear and trout.
The sale included a 6,240-square-foot lodge with five beds and six baths; an owner’s home at 4,544 square feet with 5 beds and 6 baths; three cabins plus “glamping” tents; a 42-stall horse barn and roping arena; riding trails; and three private bridges with more than 60 miles of interior roads and numerous trails.
Frances Hohl is a contributing writer for Steamboat Pilot & Today.