Our Story

Chad has leased and operated the ranch as a conventional farm and ranch since 2007. At the time it was owned by Mark Metz. Mark wanted to develop the scenic beauty of the property and, with the help of friends, cleaned a great deal of brush in the area encircled by the cliffs. In 2009 he built a very secluded pool area, complete with full power and water, over a half mile from his house, at the very base of the cliffs and in one of the most scenic areas you’ll find in Kansas. The pool, sunshade, and pool house all washed away in a large flood in May 2018, unfortunately, but the infrastructure is still there and the former pool site is our premium powered campsite.

Mark was diagnosed with terminal cancer in November 2014. Having never been married or had any children, and with no family close, he decided to leave the ranch to Chad. Cynthia quit her job and Chad did very little farming; we essentially moved in to care for him and complete some projects around the ranch that he really wanted finished. Mark passed away January 20th, 2016.

In addition to the scenic areas, there is a large limestone barn and a very extensive set of corrals with limestone rock walls. The barn is deteriorating, but much of the corrals are intact and back in use. The rock was quarried off the cliffs and they are believed to to date just after the Civil War. In fact, as we have been researching the history of the ranch, we have become convinced that it was once the Saline River outpost of Fort Hays. Using metal detectors, many military artifacts have been found, and we believe there is a strong likelihood that General Custer and his party spent part of a summer in the immediate area. We believe there is a great deal of interesting history yet to be discovered about a place this special.