Waggoner Ranch residents getting booted

[Abcdj]

I'm not sure about Lake Diversion but I'm sure at Kemp, they had a 99 year lease.

One of our lease mates has a cabin on Kemp. I talked to him today and they have a one year lease. They have been trying to get a longer 10 year lease for years. They are ok for now he said. But many of the owners are really worried about their resale values now since the letters were issued at Diversion.

[Plain Lucky]

It amazes me how many people are on the side of the people who do not own the land they built on.
It was a gamble when they built and they lost, plain and simple.

Maybe all of you who think it is so terrible should pool your money and buy the new owner out and give all those poor people their houses back

Call me heartless or whatever else you want but I **** sure will not be building any permanent structure worth much on any land I don't hold the deed to don't advise anyone to do so either

Did any of these "displaced" folks try and negotiate the purchase of the deed to the property they built their houses on prior to the sale?
Or did they just decide to gamble on a new owner letting them keep living as they had been?

I don't know that many people are necessarily on their side, rather they just feel bad for them. Did they make a bad choice in choosing to build on leased land? Of course. But they are now losing their home and getting absolutely nothing for it. At the time that they made their choice to build on leased property I'm sure they felt that there was virtually no chance that the ranch would ever be sold. After all, the ranch had been owned by the Waggoner family since 1849. But ultimately times changed, family feuds couldn't be resolved, the court said that the ranch must be sold, and the residents of Lake Kemp and Diversion could do nothing but sit on the sidelines and hope for the best. Of course they could try to sell their dwelling in the meantime, and a few of them did.

Do I blame the new owner for these people losing their homes? No, he bought the land and clearly has the right to evict them. His call and I would not want to be in his shoes on making that decision.

As for the residents trying to negotiate purchasing the property or getting a 99 year lease prior to the sale, they had zero chance. You are talking about blue collar people with net worth typically less than $30K vs a fueding family that owned 550,000 acres. They simply had no leverage and no chance of negotiating whatsoever.

My only point to all is that this is primarily a very Christian based forum and these people could definitely use some prayers and compassion. They made a very poor choice many years ago and are now losing their home and most valuable asset because of that choice. And aside from the financial aspect, they are having to leave a place where they have spent many years and have many wonderful memories.

[Archer156]

I've Lived here in Vernon all my 50 years on this earth and the people that lived on the ranch , most of them worked there and lived on the ranch because of it! They knew that some day they would have to move on after someone bought the ranch some day! It's just hard for them to do so because that is all they have ever done! That said they will began new lives else were and hopefully be ok god willing! But if the new owner was smart he would keep some of those people that know the ranch on hand to take care of the land and cattle and I'm sure he has done that to some extent!

History of how the ranch was obtained way back in the cowboy days is that there where settlers on the place before the Waggoner family obtained the land and they pushed them to sell or they just took it any way they had to be it run the off or kill them! The ranch was took from them home steadier way back in the beginning and now it's not as harsh but still about the same way being pushed off someplace they thought they would live out their lives on! It just life moving forwards if we like it or not it just the way of the world today!

[Bear82]

I wonder if this project is something they just thought of or if it had been in the plans. It seems kind of quick after just buying the place. Easier to make the new owner look bad and not blame the sellers.

I just wish my smaller ranch was only 550,000 acres. To a hunter his land looks great but to anyone else they would call his ranches ugly.

[systemnt]

Sucks for the residents. Their beef should be with the previous owners not the new guy.
That being said.. new guy is a still a assclown..and that has nothing to do with the ranch.

Expect to see housing developments and shopping malls on that property very soon.
Waste of Texas History.

[Chad C]

Sucks for the residents. Their beef should be with the previous owners not the new guy.
That being said.. new guy is a still a assclown..and that has nothing to do with the ranch.

Expect to see housing developments and shopping malls on that property very soon.
Waste of Texas History.

If he is anything like Ted Turner, it will remain intact.

[systemnt]

If he is anything like Ted Turner, it will remain intact.

His timeline for removal of the residents, has me questioning that theory....

[Ætheling]

Could be a lot worse than the current owner. Im glad an American bought the ranch, I was honestly expecting some Saudi Prince to be the next owner. That would of been beautiful.

[BrandonA]

His timeline for removal of the residents, has me questioning that theory....

I am thinking that in the near future you are going to see a upscale resort/retirement community encompass Lake Kemp.

[Chad C]

His timeline for removal of the residents, has me questioning that theory....

Taking the lake (Diversion) back to it's natural landscape, was the quote that got my attention. I believe this is only the North end of lake Diversion/8,000 foot of water front at the far North end of the lake. It's pretty trashy if you look at google earth.

The State has a fish hatchery at the North end of Diversion as well.

[txtrophy85]

Sucks for the residents. Their beef should be with the previous owners not the new guy.
That being said.. new guy is a still a assclown..and that has nothing to do with the ranch.

Expect to see housing developments and shopping malls on that property very soon.
Waste of Texas History.

Lmao what makes you think that?

[systemnt]

Lmao what makes you think that?

There were several sentences and opinions in that quote. To which are you referring your comment?

I'll assume you mean the 'housing development' comment.. and reply with ...because that's what he does? Real Estate Development.....

[Devin]

At the very least, the families should have been given a lease (by one of the parties) that ends when the last member of each family, that's currently living there, passes away. Comparing this to a hunting lease or somebody you know's ranch is ridiculous - you could fit every lease and every ranch on this forum inside the Waggoner and still have a gigantic ranch. It would have had ZERO effect on Kroenke (as it had on the Waggoners for the past 90+) to make a fair arrangement for these people. Those who say that these people were stupid to build there have obviously never had experience with these giant ranches - it was (and still is) a very common practice for these big ranches to do this for workers' families.

I agree that the previous owner should have taken care of this. IMO, this ^ would be an appropriate solution with a 5-7 year moratorium.

The typical house at Lake Diversion was probably $30-$50k. Lake Kemp is much more in the $100-$150k ranch. I bet there's a lot of leasers there that are puckering up.

Lake Kemp:


Sad deal all the way around.

We stake a lot of oil wells on the Waggoner. Word is no new oil leases are being negotiated as well.

[txtrophy85]

Real estate development encompasses several definitions.

Due to its location it's highly doubtful it will be home to residential development. That wouldn't be its highest and best use

It's much more suited to being broken up into separate pastures and kept rural ranch land. That would be possible.

Even the Y.O was broken up numerous times over the years but no one turned that into residential tract home subdivisions

[dstrong]

sad deal for sure... I have some friends that this directly affected. Not nearly as bad as most. It's the risk one takes I suppose.