Akins, OK 74955(Sequoyah County)

Water is abundant. Whether you like live creeks, pristine springs, waterfalls, small ponds or large lakes, this property has it all. The clarity of the creek water is wonderful and the abundance of small, peaceful waterfalls is amazing. If a long drought occurs and sends the creek down into the gravel base, you still have a large, deep lake to fish and boat on.

Improvements:

There is one small pavilion with electricity, tree stands and wildlife feeders. The property is fenced. Otherwise, it is ready for your improvements. Recreational properties this size usually come with large amounts of improved pasture, barns, etc that almost force you to become a farmer. That is not the case with Spring Valley Ranch. It has just enough to make it fun and accessible without having a maintenance nightmare.

Wildlife/Hunting:

Deer, black bears, turkeys, ducks and small game are present on the property. The property has been managed for deer with food plots, feeders and mineral licks. Bow hunting has been the primary means of hunting on the property. Large-mouth and small-mouth bass, crappie and perch can be caught in the lake.

Minerals:

The owners believe they have approximately 1100 net mineral acres. All owned minerals will convey with the surface. A landman's appraisl of the minerals owned is available for inspection by potential buyers. The minerals on this property have been under lease but no drilling has occurred yet. It is believed that they will be leased again this year.

Exemptions:

None

Property Summary:

Spring Valley Ranch is located in the Cookson Hills of Sequoyah County, just north of Sallisaw. This property consists of 4083 acres of beautiful timber, hills and hollows. Although it is in Oklahoma, it looks like it belongs in Arkansas. A long valley runs north to south along its western edge. A small creek courses through this valley and picks up crystal clear water from springs along the way. The creek does slow to a trickle during the summer and can go completely dry during a drought. However, the loss of live water during these times is offset by the presence of a large, downstream lake at the southern boundary of the property. Small waterfalls lend a sense of natural grace and beauty to the land.

The ranch has more than just great water features. The land itself consists of flat ridge top meadows and heavily wooded creek bottoms with a steep transition between the two. In places, this transition is in the form of vertical cliffs with exposed rock overhangs. In others, there are flat benches on the slopes between the ridge tops and creek bottom. Many of the overhangs have significant depth to them but do not qualify as true caves.

The flora of the property transitions with the land. The ridge tops are more open with grassy meadows, pine, post oak, redbud and dogwoods. As you go down slope to the creek bottom, red oaks and hickory dominate while the bottom itself grows huge oak, sycamore, walnut and pecan trees. The relative dampness of the lower elevations maintains the growth of ferns and mosses.

Springtime at the ranch can be quite noisy with the annual nesting of Blue Herons along the shores of the lake. These gangly birds look quite out of place standing atop large stick nests perched high in the massive sycamore trees. The clear waters of the lake are full of perch, bass and crappie. The owners have primarily bowhunted deer on the property. As such, there hasn't been a lot of disturbance to the wildlife. This along with the provision of supplemental feeders has encouraged black bears to take up residence.

Spring Valley Ranch also has unique historic features. According to the owners, one of the Cherokees' Trail of Tears runs through the property. This is evidenced by the presence of old, hand-stacked, stone bridge abutments. In addition, there are rows of stones through the woods that look like the beginnings of stone walls. There are also stone works constructed around a large valley spring at the northern end of the property. Lastly, a hand-stacked stone foundation of a long forgotten homestead graces a hillside overlooking a small hollow and flat.

Packaged with the surface, the owners are also offering all of the mineral interests they have acquired. Is Sequoyah County the next hot spot for drilling Likely not, but who knows with the rapid advancements in technology. At this point, there isn't any production on the property. In any case, it is unusual and always good when you can acquire as much as 1/4 of the mineral rights with the surface. It at least gives you a seat at the table and some degree of control and compensation if drilling ever occurs.