[LOOK] Amazing Wyoming Ranch Where the Grateful Dead Wrote Music
The Grateful Dead is one of rock music's legendary icons. Rollingstone called them one of their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time back in 2004, and the band is part of the Grammy Hall of Fame. They began their journey into rock stardom as "The Warlocks" in California circa the mid-1960s. So, you're probably wondering, what does a rock band from California have to do with one of Wyoming's most stunning ranches?
As it turns out, the gorgeous $35 million Bar Cross Ranch was once the home to John Perry Barlow, the lyricist of the Grateful Dead. Mr. Barlow was the grandson of the original ranch owner, P.W. Jenkins. P.W. was a member of Wyoming's House of Representatives. Jenkins became known in Wyoming as "The Father of Sublette County" for his legislative bill that created the county and his work surveying the irrigation that would water Sublette County.
Jenkins purchased the Bar Cross Ranch in 1906, and eventually, John Barlow inherited the land. The sprawling ranch is part of Cora, Wyoming, near Pinedale and Jackson. The fantastic view of mountain peaks, rivers, and meadows undoubtedly inspired his choice of location.
In the 1970s, Bob Weir, one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead, made the journey to Bar Cross Ranch to write music with John Barlow. How cool is it that some of their epic songs like "Fire on the Mountain" and "Box of Rain" may have been written Wyoming land?
The Wall Street Journal reported that Weir helped feed Barlow's herd of cattle in the morning before setting to work on music in the afternoon. The ranch eventually left the hands of Barlow in the 1980s, but its legacy for music remains.
You Could Live at the Bar Cross Ranch
Today, the Bar Cross Ranch is for sale. The ranch sits on more than 12,000 acres of land with a 40+ acre lake on the property. The previous owners kept the ranch's legacy of keeping cattle on its irrigated meadows.
The house is a historic four-bed, three-bath home on the New Fork River. There's also a bunk house, two barns, shops, and a ranch manager's house on the property. You'll find antelope, elk, and the occasional black bear or cougar wandering this Wyoming oasis. Seriously, it sounds like a Western dream (though I'd steer clear of the bears, of course.)
But don't take my word for it. Check out the pics of the Bar Cross Ranch!
Check Out the Wyoming Ranch with Grateful Dead Roots
Want more of the Bar Cross Ranch? Here's a video from real estate broker Hall and Hall for good measure.