Weathered metal structures in the mostly deserted town of Lobo, south of Van Horn on U.S. 90 in Culberson County, Texas.
Buyenlarge/Getty ImagesFor only $100,000, a deserted 10-acre town in West Texas could be yours. A group of 10 friends from Germany who currently own the little desert town of Lobo, located off Highway 90 between Van Horn and Valentine, recently put the ghost town up for sale because it’s upkeep has become too difficult to manage, according to a report from Marfa Public Radio.
Once home to acres of bustling farmland supported by an underground aquifer, Lobo first began its transformation into a ghost town back in the 1980s when the aquifer was pumped dry. By 1991, the town that had once been home to as many as 100 people was completely abandoned by its last residents. However, many of its original structures, including a former gas station, motel, grocery store and a few uninhabited homes still remain standing to this day.
Alexander Bardorff and his friends purchased the town in 2001 and began rebuilding to “get away from the busy city life and relax in the country.” For the last 22 years, they have used the land to host several art, short film and music events, including the Desert Dust Cinema Film Festival. “It kind of like, just happened,” Bardorff told Marfa Public Radio. “It wasn’t really the plan we started out, but it sort of developed into that.”
Even though they’re moving on, Bardorff and his friends don’t want the property to fall into just anyone’s hands. They want to avoid selling to someone who buys the property “as an investment, or [for] water rights or grazing lands,” Bardorff told Marfa Public Radio.
“We have a physical and emotional investment in Lobo,” Bardorff said. “We would like to have the new people that will own Lobo be people that have some kind of idea of what they want to do with the place and also be personally involved.”
An informal open house at Lobo will be held on Memorial Day weekend for interested buyers to tour the town. Additionally, Bardorff has created a website to highlight the features of Lobo. The group is hoping to make a sale by the end of June. Those interested in buying the property can reach out to Bardorff via email.