Cotton Willow Ranch - Bosque County, China Spring, TX
Cotton Willow Ranch - Bosque County, China Spring, TX
Cotton Willow Ranch represents one of the most spectacular ranches available in the state of Texas. Located only 25 minutes from Waco, and within 90 minutes of Dallas and Austin, the ranch boasts ease of accessibility and is simultaneously adorned with breathtaking vistas, miles of gin clear creeks, awe inspiring old growth hardwoods, hundreds of acres of biodiverse native prairie, and endless potential to set roots and build a Texas ranch with a generational legacy.
Nestled in the heart of the highly desirable rolling Bosque County landscape, the ranch possesses limitless potential for investment, grazing, and wildlife. The history of thoughtful management on the property has promoted preservation of the habitat, which has allowed wildlife to flourish and the ranch to maintain populations of Bobwhite quail, and wild turkey as well as ample white-tailed deer, hogs, and other native wildlife for the area. Premium metal deer stands and feeders have been placed in some of the most picturesque locations you’ve ever seen.
The ranch is beautifully positioned as a true blank canvas. The current infrastructure supports tactfully designed pastures and ponds with a set of metal cattle pens to manage the grazing. There are no old buildings, no trash, no junk. The ranch is 1,239 acres of pristine country that make the springs and both live water creeks run as clear as you have seen.
Location
The Ranch features a truly ideal central Texas position, within a 30 minute drive of the property an owner could be watching a saturday night Baylor football game at McLane stadium, or enjoying a lake day on Lake Waco or Whitney. With such close proximity to the city of Waco any and all amenities are present for the convenience of the future owners of Cotton Willow Ranch.
The ranch’s advantageous location within 1.5 hours of the DFW and Austin metropolitan areas significantly enhances the property’s value, offering excellent accessibility and investment potential. Billions of dollars in recent investment towards energy and data infrastructure in this locale also make the area an attractive location for the long term land investor.
Distances to Texas’ Metroplexes from the front gate listed below:
Dallas: 95 miles, 1.5 hours
Austin: 125 miles, 1.25 hours
Houston: 200 miles, 3.25 hours
San Antonio: 195 miles, 3.5 hours
Topography, Rangeland & Habitat
Cotton Willow Ranch experiences over 100’ of elevation change from the properties high ridges where one can see for miles over the Bosque hill country, to the creek bottoms where century old hardwoods look over the clear running waters of Willow and Cottonwood Creeks. In between these ridges and bottoms are hundreds of acres of productive native prairie dotted with oaks and juniper and featuring diverse assemblages of native grasses and forbs. Trademark species like Little Bluestem that tell the story of proper rangeland management provide cover for threatened species like the Bobwhite quail while continuing to maintain soil health into the future. In the springtime, this property becomes a Texas postcard; dozens of native flowering species including bluebonnets, Indian blankets, and winecups cover the property in a colorful mosaic.
The property’s internal pasture system has allowed cattle to be effectively rotated across a majority of the ranch to prevent overgrazing and foster conservation of the prairie. With minimal revamping, the systems and infrastructure in place will allow a new manager to continue the intentional management of this unique piece of Texas.
Wildlife
Thanks to a history of proper management, The Cotton Willow Ranch is also home to an extensive list of charismatic native species including self-sustaining populations of Bobwhite Quail, Texas Horned Lizards, Rio Grande Turkeys, and White-tailed deer.
Waterfowl species including gadwall, widgeon, teal, and mallards utilize the property’s ponds on their annual migration South.
Improvements
Cotton Willow Ranch affords a rare opportunity to build custom improvements on a premium piece of land in Central Texas. Two spectacular home sites looking West over the rolling hills have been cleared to help potential buyers visualize their future possibilities.
Current improvements include perimeter and interior fencing, a set of high-volume working pens. 4 premium metal 5×8 deer stands, and 12 deer, turkey, and quail feeders spread throughout the property.
Water
This unforgettable ranch is named for the two limestone-lined creeks, Willow Creek and Cottonwood Creek that bisect the property and converge near the southern boundary. Crystal clear waters pour over waterfalls and meander around bends for a total of ~2.2 miles creating countless picturesque scenes. Walks along the banks of these creeks often reveal fossils and arrowheads to the keen observer. Feeding into these creeks are an assemblage of drainages, several of which could be targeted to develop larger bodies of water on the property.
In addition, 8 stock tanks are strategically placed, providing reliable water sources for both livestock and wildlife in each section of the property.
Electricity
Power is located just within the property boundary off County Road 3545.
Minerals
Surface estate only.
Area History
Bosque County holds deep historical roots, first inhabited by Native American tribes like the Tonkawa and Comanche, who traveled its river valleys and open plains. In the mid-1800s, European settlers arrived, drawn by the fertile land along the Bosque and Brazos Rivers. The area soon became known for its farming, ranching, and limestone architecture. Today, Bosque County blends natural beauty with a rich cultural legacy, offering a timeless rural landscape steeped in Texas history.
