There are four other utility buildings, a bunkhouse in the wilderness, and the initial cabin that Kessler built—in total, the ranch sleeps 30 people. When it’s full, Kessler says it can be serviced by 15 staff people, including cleaners, managers, cooks, and waiters. “But you can carve that number down to five, if you want,” he said.
Kessler rented the ranch out for between $250 and $500 a night per room, with an additional $250 for food and drink. Additional income would come from the oil, shale, and natural gas wells drilled discreetly around the property; the current price of the ranch includes rights to 50 percent of those wells, Kessler said. “They have real value, but it’s hard to determine how much, because it’s hard to determine what energy is going to cost in the future,” he said. “So what’s the value of that: $5 million? $10 million? Who knows, but it’s a big number.”
Kessler decided to sell, he said, to develop another ranch. “I enjoyed doing it; this ranch is beautiful, it’s gorgeous,” he said. “But now that I know how to do one ... I’d do a smaller one, probably.”