Hwy 77, Milford, TX 76670 - Ellis County

An absolutely beautiful piece of native Texas Blackland Prairie with incredible biodiversity. Less than 1 hour from downtown Dallas or Fort Worth, it has about 3,000 feet of Richland Creek, which runs clear and beautiful water year-round. The creek bottom is solid rock and is less than 18 inches at its deepest, so if necessary for maintenance, a UTV/ATV can easily run the entire creek bottom with necessary tools and manpower. This property hasn't been ploughed in anyone's recent memory, certainly not since the 90s, so the thatch is thick and protective as God intended and has been only lightly grazed by a neighbor for grass maintenance. It carries the wildlife tax valuation attached to its agricultural tax exemption. That means as long as the owner maintains a few wildlife supports, there is no need to maintain an active animal or agricultural use. Those activities include wild habitat maintenance such as brush piles, birdhouses, bat houses, etc; predator control, which includes hog, bobcat, and coyote hunting which the owner can lease for profit; game animal population management and census, again which can be leased for profit; food supplementation using feeders or the like; and such other activities which are more characterized as enjoyable than work. The owner gets all of the tax benefits of sheer enjoyment of an agricultural exempt property without the financial and liability exposure of an ongoing agricultural operation. On property is a large hog trap, about 16 feet in diameter. It's not uncommon to trap a half dozen pigs at one time. Plenty of deer wander the property and creek for sightseeing or hunting. The current owner for the last 10 years has not hunted deer and has only allowed predator and hog hunting on the property to support the native deer population. This property is close enough to civilization that it's safe to wander without feeling isolated, but large enough and far enough away from population centers to see a sample of what Texas looked like when covered wagons crisscrossed the great prairies. Speaking of a little taste of Texas history, there is an old hand-dug well which has never been dry since the current owner has had this property (since 2015). Also, the interurban railway used to run on the property near Highway 77. The track base and one large retaining structure is still there overlooking the creek from high.