Texas Buys Brewster Ranch Near Big Bend

The Texas General Land Office completed the purchase of the remaining 353,785-acre holding in Brewster County for $164.6 million.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in National Parks

On October 24, 2024, the Texas General Land Office acquired the remaining 353,785 acres of the Brewster Ranch on behalf of the state Permanent School Fund. The purchase price was $164.6 million, bringing the effective cost to about $465 per acre.

Why it matters

The ranch borders Big Bend National Park, Black Gap Wildlife Management Area and the Rio Grande Wild & Scenic River, so the acquisition places a large, ecologically significant landscape under state ownership. The sale also closes a chapter in a property that had been assembled over more than two decades and was listed in 2020 at an asking price of $413.4 million.

The purchase covered 353,785 acres for $164.6 million, roughly $465 per acre, compared with a 2020 listing of about 420,000 acres at an asking price of $413.4 million. The source does not specify the planned management of the land.

The players

Texas General Land Office

The Texas state agency that manages state-owned land and completed the acquisition on behalf of the Permanent School Fund.

Brad Kelley

A Texas businessman who assembled the Brewster Ranch over more than two decades.

The details

Businessman Brad Kelley began assembling the property in 2001 with a 17,542-acre tract in the Santiago Mountains of Brewster County and later combined several historic ranches into a larger holding. The Land Office completed the purchase from Texas Mountain Holdings, a company associated with Kelley.

2001: Kelley began assembling the property with a 17,542-acre tract.
2020: The ranch was listed at about 420,000 acres for $413.4 million.
October 24, 2024: The State Land Office completed the $164.6 million purchase.

Landscape Context

The acquisition adds a major parcel to land held by the Permanent School Fund, the state endowment that funds public education in Texas. The property's position beside Big Bend National Park makes it a notable addition to protected landscapes in Far West Texas.

Visitors to Big Bend National Park and nearby wildlife areas may see the surrounding landscape change as the state takes ownership. The extraction does not describe any changes to public access or visitor facilities.

The takeaway

Large land transfers near national parks can reshape access and conservation for years, so readers planning Big Bend trips should watch for announcements about how the acquired acreage will be used.