Discover the Untold Story of Texas’ $100K Ghost Town
In 2023, Texans all across the Lone Star State were talking about the real estate opportunity of a lifetime. It was a chance to own not just a house, but an entire town. It was affordable-ish. For less than most houses, you could be lord of your own little hamlet surrounded by cactus and blue Texas skies. Since then, there's been little news as to what is the fate of Lobo, Texas, the Texas ghost town that was up for sale.
Lobo, Texas; The Ghost Town You Could Own For $100,000
Lobo, Texas is one of the most fascinating spots in the whole Lone Star State. A lot of what makes it so interesting is what happened to the town after it was abandoned. For years it served as kind of a retreat for artists and those looking for an escape from it all. It was a ghost town that was brought back to life in a glorious way.
In 2001, three friends from Germany bought the property that was once the bustling town of Lobo. They fixed it up and began hosting festivals. For several years it was home to the Desert Dust Cinema Festival. There's a pecan orchard that has over 61,000 trees, and a campground.
In 2023, the friends decided to put the property back up for sale. All it would cost for you to own your own Texas ghost town would be $100,000.
The Sad History of Lobo, Texas
Lobo started with all of the potential in the world. The area became popular because of the Van Horn Wells. It's an aquifer that made Lobo the only spot to get water for 100 miles. Before the 1850s, Lobo was a hot spot along mail routes since it was the only place to get water. In the 1850s, the railroad arrived and Lobo stuck to doing what it did best; offering water to people traveling through. By 1907, Lobo had its own post office and was officially named after the wolves in the area.
Once the post office arrived, a town site was laid out for Lobo. In 1915, the population was supposedly 20, but there was a general store and several other businesses. Tragedy struck in 1929 when an earthquake destroyed the hotel in Lobo. Another earthquake would rattle the town in 1931. People would start moving out until irrigation started. Once that took off, cotton became an important part of life in Lobo. By the 1960s, the population would be somewhere around 90.
Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to last. The water table fell, meaning that the wells were having a hard time keeping up with the demand for water. Running the irrigation pumps became incredibly expensive, and the town's cotton gin closed down.
The First Owner Of Lobo, Texas
Bill Christ bought Lobo in 1969 and wanted to revive the dying town. He opened up a new gas station and general store. Tragedy would strike in the form of a fire that destroyed the general store in 1976. After that, Bill put the town on the market for $60,000 in 1988. He gave up efforts to save the town in 1991 after having no takers on his offer to own your town.
It seemed that Christ's dreams were coming true when in 2001 our German friends from earlier decided to make an offer on the town. A deal was struck, and it looked like Lobo would once again get a second chance.
It wasn't meant to be, I suppose. The town was once again placed on the market in 2023. I was unable to find any information regarding new owners, so it makes you wonder if once again the town is being left to sit and wait for its next chance. When you go to the town's official website, you're meant with one of those adorable "This site can't be reached" messages.
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Gallery Credit: Charlie Hardin
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Gallery Credit: Charlie Hardin