Back in October of last year, we told you about the $725 million Waggoner Ranch for sale in Vernon, Texas, and its prospects for actually receiving offers were uncertain, at best. But Stan Kroenke, the billionaire owner of the formerly-St. Louis, now-Los Angeles Rams, has stepped in at the clutch and snapped up the 520,000-acre estate for himself – although the precise terms of the sale have not been made public.
That means that the $725 million listing price is the only available figure, and since Kroenke's net worth is over $7 billion, it's not exactly out of his price range even if he didn't manage to negotiate a lower sum. It's also well within his metier as far as acquisitions are concerned, since Kroenke is the reported owner of 11 ranches across Montana, Wyoming, Arizona, and even British Columbia. And in a statement released to the media about the purchase, Kroenke seems extremely enthusiastic about the deal:
"This is an incredible opportunity and an even greater responsibility. We are honored to assume ownership of the Waggoner –a true Texas and American landmark –and are deeply committed to continuing the proud legacy of W.T. "Tom" Waggoner, his family and his descendants. Our gratitude to them and to the many parties involved in this process is immense. We will continue to preserve and protect this uniquely American treasure."
Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
It's good news for people who care about such things that Kroenke intends to "preserve and protect" the Waggoner Ranch, since it holds the unique distinction of being the largest ranch in the United States that's surrounded by a single fence. It's also good for Kroenke himself, that he's not likely to experience any buyer's remorse for the property, since his move of the Rams from St. Louis to Los Angeles is probably taking up a lot of his time and energy at the moment. The only people this news might be bad for is anyone hoping to one day call the Waggoner Ranch their own – if you've been saving up since October, maybe you can find yourself something else to spend your money on.ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmroaSuu6bA1qipraBemLyue8Crq6KbnJrAcK7IpaOip56WtrOxjKecsKtfqbWiwIxwaW5lnZ65rbXOp2StnaiWwG6%2BwKeaoWWnlsBurs6unqGsXZfGbr7Apqpmp6ejsrN50q2Yp2Wbp7ymusqeZg%3D%3D