Williams Farm & Seed Company | Fay Ranches

WILLIAMS FARM & SEED COMPANY

Pueblo, Colorado

$925,000 | 18.6± Acres

INTRODUCTION

The historic Williams Seed Store and surrounding farm have been a well-known establishment on the St. Charles Mesa for over 87 years, providing more than 70 varieties of seeds to local patrons. The property totals 18.6± acres and 26.1 shares of the premier Bessemer Irrigating Ditch Company for water rights.

The property includes a three-bedroom, one-bathroom brick home set along the US Highway 50 frontage. The house sits on 1± acre of land with residential zoning. Along the highway frontage to the west is the charming Williams Seed Store building and equipment shop. These improvements stand on 0.6± acres with commercial zoning. The remaining 17± acres of land are zoned for agriculture and are currently used for growing alfalfa and alfalfa/grass mixed hay.

Location is everything, and this property has a prime position along US Highway 50, which traverses the St. Charles Mesa on the eastern edge of Pueblo, Colorado, a highly sought-after area for farming opportunities and an ideal place to call home. The Mesa is a laid-back agriculturally focused area, with lots of locally grown produce stands and family-owned businesses, with a rural feel, yet only minutes from downtown Pueblo, the largest city in southern Colorado.

A farm with such a prime location is not easy to find on the Mesa. This historic and iconic property offers one of the best locations for a potential commercial business. With multiple types of zoning, plentiful water rights, and usable improvements, this property provides limitless opportunities for the next owner.

QUICK FACTS

• 18.6± Acres

• The St. Charles Mesa is known for its productive farmland

• Alfalfa and alfalfa/grass hay is currently grown on the farm

• Gated pipe is used to irrigate the farm fields

• The farm includes 26.1 shares of water from Bessemer Irrigating Ditch Company

• Pueblo chili peppers are a staple grown on the Mesa

• The city of Pueblo has an annual Chili & Frijole Festival to celebrate the chili harvest season

• Williams Seed Company was founded 87 years ago

• The original seed bins and counter are still in the Williams Seed Store

• The Willams Seed Store is 880 square feet

• The equipment shop is 2,640 square feet

• The brick home is 2,404 square feet, with 3 bedrooms, and 1 bathroom

ACREAGE

• 18.6± total acres

The farm fields create a buffer around the home, seed store, and equipment shop. This setting helps the Williams Seed Store stand out as you drive by on US Highway 50. The return ditch for the irrigation water also creates a tranquil live water feature as these waters flow through the property.

SCENIC VISTAS

The lush fields create the perfect landscape to take in the views of Greenhorn Mountain to the southwest, and a stunning view of America’s Mountain, better known as Pike ’s Peak, can be seen to the north.

IMPROVEMENTS

The iconic Williams Seed Store was established on the Mesa over 87 years ago. As the surrounding acreage was turned into residential lots and homes, the seed store and farm fields held their ground, leaving their mark along US Highway 50. The brick home, built in 1936, was home to the Williams family as they ran the store and raised their children. The family seed business closed in the summer of 2022 when the siblings who had grown up on the farm decided they were ready to retire.

RECREATION

The local area offers the San Isabel National Forest for hiking, riding, hunting, camping, and snowmobiling. Also, Lake Pueblo State Park is located about 30 minutes west of the property. The lake offers 60 miles of shoreline and over 10,000± acres of land for hiking, biking, camping, and riding. The lake is known for its fishing and boating opportunities, including two marinas. There is a designated beach area for swimming as well.

Photo not taken on property

F ishing

The Arkansas River winds through Pueblo and the Mesa as it flows down from the Pueblo Reservoir. There are good fly-fishing opportunities as you travel along the Arkansas River west of Pueblo towards Salida. There are many other fishing opportunities at the reservoir and below the dam.

Photo not taken on property

Photo not taken on property

AREA HISTORY

The area now known as the St. Charles Mesa was once grazing land owned by Charles Goodnight. Eventually, the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company (CF&I) bought out the grounds and started establishing the current-day steel mill and surrounding neighborhoods. CF&I was founded in 1892 through a business merger. John D. Rockefeller and Jay Gould’s heirs had the main controlling interest in CF&I by 1903. The steel mill is now owned by a Russian Company called the EVRAZ Group and still provides many jobs for residents in the area.

CF&I Remains photo credit: CPerko

Williams Farm & Seed Company | Pueblo, Colorado

NEARBY ATTRACTIONS & ACTIVITIES

• The Pueblo Riverwalk encompasses a 32± acre waterfront venue, shopping, dining, community events, and paddle boats. The channel winds through downtown Pueblo for a mile, with beautiful art and plaques denoting historic locations and events.

• Sangre De Cristo Art Center includes the Helen Thatcher White Galleries and Buell Children’s Museum. The center sits off Santa Fe Avenue in downtown Pueblo.

• Lake Pueblo State Park is a great place to visit for recreational activities. The Royal Gorge Bridge and Activity Center is another highly visited attraction.

• Lake Isabel in the San Isabel National Forest near San Isabel, Colorado, is a great place to kayak and fish in the summer and ice fish in the winter.

• Bishops Castle is a fun place to see the latest addition to the castle being built by a local man with a limitless imagination.

• This region offers many fun and exciting adventures.

Bishops Castle

INCOME OPPORTUNITY

There is the opportunity for farming income from the property. The sellers currently lease the farm ground to a local farmer. The seed store operated for 86 years and had a loyal customer following. New owners could rejuvenate the store or place a new business on the commercial land. The benefits of this location along US Highway 50 would be hard to replicate and don’t become available very often.

CLIMATE

The area between Pueblo and Avondale typically receives 12 inches of rain annually, along with 25 inches of snow. The summer high generally is 93 degrees, and the winter low is 17 degrees. On average, the sun shines 258 days per year. This area is rated as one of the most comfortable climates in Colorado.

WATER SOURCES | WATER RIGHTS

The well on this property is permitted as a yard well to irrigate the yard around the house. The farm is irrigated with 26.1 shares of water through the Bessemer Irrigating Ditch Company.

CONSERVATION | STEWARDSHIP

Each of us at Fay Ranches loves the land and wants to see it remain a productive agricultural ground and a quality fish and wildlife habitat. Through promoting thoughtful land stewardship, Fay Ranches has guided owners toward a legacy of conserving wide-open spaces, enhancing and creating fisheries and wildlife habitats, and implementing sustainable agricultural operations. Fay Ranches is proud to say that since our company began in 1992, our clients’ conservation ethics and land-use practices have significantly enhanced our work landscape.

LOCATION

The farm is in the heart of the St. Charles Mesa, with shopping, restaurants, mechanics, farm markets, a grocery store, and many more amenities just minutes away.

GETTING THERE

The farm is conveniently located off US Highway 50, east of Pueblo. The property is on the south side of the highway between 21st and 23rd Lanes.

AIRPORT SERVICES

The Pueblo Memorial Airport is only 7.5 miles from the farm. The airport accommodates private jets and airplanes and offers a small selection of commercial flights to Denver International Airport.

SUMMARY

The Williams family farm, home, and former Williams Seed Store are familiar landmarks on the St. Charles Mesa. This farm is so coveted and celebrated that the Palmer Land Conservancy is including the property in a documentary they are producing about historic farms in the lower Arkansas River Valley. This would be a wonderful property to place in a conservation easement to enjoy and preserve a historic family farm and business. The family would be very proud and humbled to know the farm would be cherished and preserved if the future owners choose to do so.

$925,000

$4,546

Cash, Ag/Commercial, 1031 Tax Exchange

Please contact Joette Schalla at (719) 469-8374 | jschalla@fayranches.com to schedule a showing. This is an exclusive listing. An agent from Fay Ranches must be present at all showings, unless otherwise noted or other arrangements are made. To view other properties, fly fishing properties, and sporting ranches that we have listed, please visit our web page at www.fayranches.com .

TAXES TERMS CONTACT NOTICE

Offer is subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, change or withdrawal without notice, and approval of purchase by owner. Information regarding land classification, carrying capacities, maps, etc., is intended only as a general guideline and has been provided by the owners and other sources deemed reliable, but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to research the information to their own satisfaction.

(Mandatory 7-09)

DIFFERENT BROKERAGE RELATIONSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE WHICH INCLUDE SELLER AGENCY, BUYER AGENCY OR TRANSACTIONBROKERAGE.

DEFINITIONS OF WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

For purposes of this document, seller also means “landlord” (which includes sublandlord) and buyer also means “tenant” (which includes subtenant).

Seller’s Agent: A seller’s agent (or listing agent) works solely on behalf of the seller to promote the interests of the seller with the utmost good faith, loyalty and fidelity. The agent negotiates on behalf of and acts as an advocate for the seller. The seller’s agent must disclose to potential buyers all adverse material facts actually known by the seller’s agent about the property. A separate written listing agreement is required which sets forth the duties and obligations of the broker and the seller.

Buyer’s Agent: A buyer’s agent works solely on behalf of the buyer to promote the interests of the buyer with the utmost good faith, loyalty and fidelity. The agent negotiates on behalf of and acts as an advocate for the buyer. The buyer’s agent must disclose to potential sellers all adverse material facts actually known by the buyer’s agent including the buyer’s financial ability to perform the terms of the transaction and, if a residential property, whether the buyer intends to occupy the property. A separate written buyer agency agreement is required which sets forth the duties and obligations of the broker and the buyer.

Transaction-Broker: A transaction-broker assists the buyer or seller or both throughout a real estate transaction by performing terms of any written or oral agreement, fully informing the parties, presenting all offers and assisting the parties with any contracts, including the closing of the transaction without being an agent or advocate for any of the parties. A transaction-broker must use reasonable skill and care in the performance of any oral or written agreement, and must make the same disclosures as agents about all adverse material facts actually known by the transaction-broker concerning a property or a buyer’s financial ability to perform the terms of a transaction and, if a residential property, whether the buyer intends to occupy the property. No written agreement is required.

Customer: A customer is a party to a real estate transaction with whom the broker has no brokerage relationship because such party has not engaged or employed the broker, either as the party’s agent or as the party’s transaction-broker.

The printed portions of this form, except differentiated additions, have been approved by the Colorado Real Estate Commission. (DD25-5-09)