The 25 Ranch is a historic and expansive cattle ranch situated in northern Nevada and being offered for sale at the price of $36,525,000. The property encompasses approximately 126,018 deeded acres and spans across four counties. As one of the largest and oldest ranches in the state, the Ranch holds many vested and decreed water rights dating back to the 1870s and 1880s. Over the years, the Ranch has been improved with a main residence, numerous dwellings, corrals, barns, shops, and support buildings. Additionally, the 25 Ranch features numerous water sources, vast, long-standing BLM grazing permits and a carrying capacity of 6,500± cows on a year-round basis.
One of the foremost historic cattle ranches in northern Nevada, many of the ranching properties consisting of what now comprises the 25 Ranch were established and settled in the 1870’s. These lands were originally separately assembled and operated by Russell Land and Cattle Co. and by W.T. Jenkins Co.
In the 1940s, W.T. Jenkins Co. merged all of these holdings into the current 25 Ranch operation. W.T. Jenkins, the founder of W.T. Jenkins Co., migrated to Nevada from Wales in the early 1870’s seeking his fortune mining for gold and silver. His dream soon dissipated, and he then commenced operations in the sheep business. After standing victorious in a fatal gunfight in the mountains of the open Nevada range with a ruthless cattleman named Joe Dean, who unsuccessfully attempted to run W.T. out of the country, W.T. Jenkins subsequently began raising both sheep and cattle.
W.T.’s daughter, Louise Marvel, assumed the lead role of managing the ranch operations at the tender young age of 18 and gradually created one of the largest ranching operations in the State of Nevada. The extensive 25 Ranch lands which comprised a portion of the W.T. Jenkins Co. holdings were sold in 1964 and ultimately the current owner of the 25 Ranch acquired the outfit in 1989 and has continuously operated this ranching enterprise since that time.
The 25 Ranch is comprised of several ranch units scattered throughout the 25 Ranch fee lands, consisting of Izzenhood Ranch, Blossom Ranch, Rock Creek Ranch, St. John’s Ranch, Stampede Ranch, Feed Lot, River Ranch, DL Ranch, and the Wire Corral Camp — all of which are integral parts of the ranching operation. Most of the cattle are wintered in the River Ranch and Izzenhood areas, on both fee lands and the BLM grazing allotment, and then move north into higher elevations for fresher feed during the spring and summer grazing seasons.
At the present time, most of the irrigated land is grazed and not harvested because there has not been a need for winter supplementation. In normal years, meadowlands can be used for both harvest land and grazing. Approximately 4,000 cows can be wintered on the southern portion of the BLM grazing allotment without feeding hay. The only hay requirements are for saddle horses and special cattle needs. There are 524,083 acres within the grazing allotment, consisting of 309,390 acres of public land and 214,693 acres of private land.
The 25 Ranch has an abundance of certificated, adjudicated and vested water rights. The total adjudicated water rights on the property are approximately 15,234.15± Acre-Feet. In addition to the adjudicated water rights, the 25 Ranch is also entitled to water for irrigation use from 8 sources and under 8 separate certificates (which are of public record in the Nevada Division of Water Resources Office).
