Val Kilmer’s sprawling Pecos River ranch in New Mexico went from a private Hollywood escape to a high-end hospitality retreat before eventually changing hands in 2011.
asserted
ranch → go → 2011
Contemporary reports from CBS News and the Associated Press, along with real-estate publications including The Land Report, documented the property’s years-long journey from a $33 million listing to its eventual sale after a steep reduction in the asking price.
asserted
reports → include → price
Located about 22 miles northeast of Santa Fe in San Miguel County, the ranch stretched across 5,328 acres and followed a particularly scenic section of the Pecos River.
asserted
ranch → locate → River
The property was known for its river frontage, natural springs, wildlife and extensive trails through New Mexico’s high-desert landscape.
asserted
property → know → landscape
A later account from Realtor.com described the ranch as largely wild, with canyons and pine forests surrounding its residential buildings.
asserted
canyons → describe → buildings
Kilmer had acquired the land in the 1990s and spent years developing it into a secluded base away from Hollywood.
asserted
Kilmer → acquire → Hollywood
Earlier coverage by the Los Angeles Times described the ranch as containing guest cottages, staff quarters, stables, barns and corrals, while Kilmer kept horses and other animals on the property.
asserted
Kilmer → describe → property
He had also previously attempted to sell portions of the ranch, including an approximately 1,800-acre section listed for $18 million in 2006.
asserted
He → attempt → 2006
By 2009, Kilmer had changed strategy and put the entire ranch on the market.
asserted
Kilmer → change → market
The Land Report reported an asking price of $33 million, with the property offering several homes and outbuildings as well as more than five miles of Pecos River frontage.
asserted
property → report → frontage
The listing represented a significant escalation from his earlier attempts to sell smaller portions of the ranch.
asserted
listing → represent → ranch
The property’s price subsequently dropped sharply.
asserted
price → drop → ?
By late 2010, reports said the ranch had been reduced to $18.5 million, down from $23 million earlier that year.
asserted
ranch → say → million
The AP also reported that the ranch included more than 10 natural springs, hiking and riding trails, guest quarters and a large main residence.
asserted
ranch → report → springs
Kilmer had sought permission to operate guesthouses as overnight accommodations, eventually receiving approval from San Miguel County after controversy surrounding remarks he had previously made about the region.
asserted
he → seek → region
The Los Angeles Times reported that the proposed lodging involved three guesthouses, while contemporary coverage described the property as operating as a bed-and-breakfast with rental cabins.
asserted
coverage → report → cabins
Its history also extended well beyond Kilmer.
asserted
history → extend → Kilmer
The land formed part of the larger Forked Lightning Ranch associated with oilman Buddy Fogelson and actress Greer Garson.
asserted
land → form → Fogelson
According to the National Park Service, Fogelson purchased the original 5,500-acre ranch in 1941, and he and Garson later used it as a residence and gathering place for prominent figures from Hollywood and beyond.
uncertain
he → accord → Hollywood
After Fogelson’s death, the property was divided among his heirs, with portions eventually passing to Kilmer and actress Jane Fonda.
asserted
portions → divide → Kilmer
After several years on the market, most of Kilmer’s Pecos River property was finally sold in 2011.
asserted
most → sell → 2011
CBS News reported that the buyer was Texas oil and gas executive Benjamin A. Strickling III and his wife, Roxann.
asserted
buyer → report → ?
The deed transfer was recorded on September 30, 2011, according to contemporary property reports.
uncertain
transfer → record → reports
The $18.5 million figure represented a dramatic reduction from Kilmer’s original $33 million asking price, amounting to roughly 44% below the initial listing.
asserted
figure → represent → listing
The sale marked the end of Kilmer’s long chapter on the Pecos River, where he had built not just a home but a sprawling private retreat around the landscape.
asserted
he → mark → landscape
The property later remained associated with conservation and outdoor recreation, while the larger historic Forked Lightning Ranch continues to be preserved in part through Pecos National Historical Park.
asserted
Ranch → associate → Park
The Aporia
