PC: WSJ
Yet the 1,300-acre Rolling R Ranch was assembled over time rather than acquired as one large holding. Roosevelt, bought the first 150 acres in 1999 and gradually added neighbouring parcels. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, it is now being offered for $21.5 million. Reportedly, the initial purchase in 1999 covered 150 acres. From there, adjoining pieces were acquired over the years, eventually bringing the property together as a contiguous ranch of about 1,300 acres. The ranch sits in the Clear Creek Valley, roughly 75 minutes from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and about 30 miles south of the Oklahoma border. The ranch is around an hour or a little more from the metropolitan area, depending on the starting point, while DFW International Airport is about 65 miles away. As reported, the principal residence is a 3,716-square-foot house completed in 2014. A 2,800-square-foot barndominium dates from 2001 and functions as ranch headquarters as well as extra accommodation.
Roosevelt waited until neighbouring land could be secured before constructing the hilltop lodge, allowing the surrounding views to remain protected, according to material released by the listing company.
Elliot “Tony” Roosevelt Jr., a grandson of Franklin D. A ranch in Cooke County, north of Dallas, can look as though it has always been there. Rolling grassland gives way to hardwoods, pecan groves and limestone country, with Clear Creek running through the property. More than two decades later, the family retreat has become a substantial working ranch with a house, guest accommodation, horse facilities, cattle country and more than seven miles of trails. Roosevelt, a Dallas oil and gas executive, did not start out with the full expanse now known as Rolling R Ranch. The gradual approach changed the character of the place. Rather than being planned as a large estate from the outset, the ranch developed parcel by parcel. Roosevelt appears to have treated the surrounding land as part of the ranch experience rather than simply as space around a house. The property now includes native grasslands, mature hardwoods and pecan groves, with cattle operations continuing alongside wildlife habitat and outdoor recreation. There are also significant changes in elevation. A limestone ridge runs for more than three miles, while a waterfall sits among the rock formations. Eleven stock ponds are spread across the ranch, and the landscape provides habitat for wildlife including white-tailed deer and Rio Grande turkey. More than seven miles of trails were developed across the property. They pass through wooded ridges, creek corridors and open pasture, creating routes for walking, riding and other outdoor use. The trails are one of the clearest signs of how the ranch was shaped over time: not just as a place to stay, but as a landscape intended to be travelled through. For the Roosevelt family, Rolling R became a weekend property and a place for family gatherings. Reports on the ranch describe children and grandchildren spending time there riding horses, fishing, camping and exploring the creek and surrounding countryside. Its relative proximity to Dallas made that practical. Despite that access, the property occupies a distinctly rural setting. The family did not rush into building the main lodge. The same approach was used in the development of trails and outdoor areas. Wildlife measures were incorporated too, including owl boxes, bluebird houses and protected sanctuary areas around the residences. The ranch has also continued to support grazing and native grassland management. It has four bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms, along with an open living area, stone fireplace, granite-topped kitchen and screened porch. Outside, there is a swimming pool and hot tub. The house is only part of the built infrastructure. Its upper level contains bedrooms, while the lower section incorporates working space connected to the property’s equestrian facilities. Beside it is a four-stall horse barn with a dedicated tack room. The arrangement gives the property a practical ranch component rather than making it simply a large country residence.
The 1,300-acre ranch is now on the market
As reported by Chron, Rolling R Ranch was listed in 2026 for $21.5 million. At 1,300 acres, that works out to roughly $16,500 per acre. The sale brings an end to a period of nearly three decades in which the property grew from its original 150 acres into a much larger holding.
The listing is being handled by Hortenstine Ranch Company. Its present form includes the main residence, barndominium, horse barn, cattle country, creek frontage, ponds, trails, wooded areas and native grasslands. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.