A sprawling ranch located along Colorado front range just hit the market for $48.5 million — and comes with a unique and varied history that involves Elton John, the gold rush, and Arabian horses.Caribou Ranch is located in Nederland, Colorado, just west of Boulder and about one hour from Denver, and spans 1,700 deeded acres, according to the listing at Hall and Hall.
The ranch has several buildings on the property, including a primary residence and guest cabins.
Hall and Hall
The ranch is situated in an alpine valley with sweeping mountain views and is adjacent to public lands. Wildlife like moose, deer, foxes, and coyotes frequent the property’s grassy fields and meadows, and there are creeks available for fly fishing.
The ranch is located west of Boulder and about one hour from Denver.
Hall and Hall
Boulder County property records show the ranch was owned by a Colorado-based company that has previously been linked to the Walton family business.Sources previously told the Denver Post the company that bought the ranch belonged to the Waltons. The outlet also reported that the principal address listed for the business was the same address in Arkansas as Walton Enterprises and other entities connected to the Waltons, though it was later changed. The Wall Street Journal reported that “according to property records, the seller is a Colorado-based limited liability company that is linked to Walton Enterprises, a family office of the Walton family. “The Waltons did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent via their charitable foundation.
The ranch has grassy fields, meadows, and forested areas, as well as mountain views.
Hall and Hall
The Walton family includes the descendants of Sam Walton, the late founder of Walmart, including his children Rob, Jim, and Alice, and his grandson Lukas. Collectively, the four of them have a combined net worth of more than $290 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The ranch once had a recording studio that hosted musicians like Stevie Nicks and Billy Joel.
Hall and Hall
In addition to its ties to the famous family of billionaires, the history of Caribou Ranch also involves some music legends.
The ranch includes a recording studio originally built in the 1970s that was visited by Elton John, The Beach Boys, Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks, Rod Stewart, and many other music industry greats. The Caribou Ranch Recording Studio was even inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2017.
The ranch dates back to the mid 1800s when miner arrived in the area for the gold rush.
Hall and Hall
“Tucked away in a converted barn just outside the Colorado ghost town of Caribou, Caribou Ranch was a one-of-a-kind recording studio that captured the distinct spirit of the American West,” according to the Hall of Fame’s description of the studio.
There are creeks on the ranch where you can go fly fishing.
Hall and Hall
The ranch has several other structures on the property, including a primary residence and five guest cabins, with the oldest dating back to 1910.The primary residence is not currently habitable and would need to be remodeled, according to the listing. It was constructed in the 1980s with materials from a cabin that dated back to the 1860s, when early settlers arrived in the area during the Pike’s Peak gold rush, also known as the Colorado gold rush.
Wildlife like moose, deer, foxes, and coyotes are common on the ranch.
Hall and Hall
The ranch served as a basecamp for miners during the period, according to Hall and Hall.There was also once an Arabian horse breeding operation on the ranch.
The ranch is adjacent to public lands, including some forest service land and BLM land.
Hall and Hall
Some of the other buildings on Caribou Ranch are an equipment barn and shop, an office, guest lodge, horse and hay barn, and a blacksmith shop.
