A small West Texas ghost town, that once served as a watering station in the 1800s, has hit the market for $100,000 – well below the median price of a home in the state.
The unusual opportunity comes after a group of German friends who bought the place twenty-two years hoped to sell the remote town to a buyer with ‘vision.’
Lobo is located in a remote corner of the Lone Star State, just off Route Texas 90, sitting 130 miles southeast of El Paso, 15 miles east of the Rio Grande and 57 miles away from the desert city of Marfa.
The town, which span 10 acres, has several old business intact including a grocery store, post office, motel, gas station, restaurant, along with a few other houses and structures, according to the property listing.
The asking price of $100,000 is well below the median home price in Texas which is currently $341,300 and its second biggest city San Antonio where the median price for a family home is $274,000.
Lobo is nestled in the heart of the desert, in a remote area which for nearly a century but has never seen a population greater than 100 people
The town was finally abandoned in 1991 when the last of its residents had to leave for personal reasons before a group of German friends purchased the place
A hotel at Lobo is pictured in a photograph from the mid-1800s
Located 130 miles southeast of El Paso, 57 miles away from the desert city of Marfa, the ghost town in Lobo, Texas has gone on the market for $100,000
The German friends from Frankfurt first purchased the tiny town in November 2001 and began to rebuild various parts of the town.
Over the next two decades the property played host to art exhibitions, film screenings, and music events.
Desert Dust Cinema was one of the small short film festivals that took place. The event would see people gather to watch films and enjoy live music and art shows.
Now the friends are older, the group say they find it challenging to maintain and wish to sell the land onto someone that would appreciate the quirky nature of the listing.
‘We are too old now to continue our efforts to maintain the buildings and the 10 acres of land and would like to sell Lobo to someone who appreciates the special character of ‘our’ little Ghost Town,’ they write in their listing.
‘You come back after a year and things have been destroyed, and then you have to start over again,’ Alexander Bardorff, one of Lobo’s owners, told Texas Monthly.
‘I’ll be seventy years old in a month, and all my other friends are in Germany, so we’re just running out of energy.
The town would regularly hold a film festival called the Desert Dust Cinema Festival
The remote location has played host to a few art and film festivals
Desert Dust Cinema saw people visit the area for something different
The town, which span 10 acres, hosts several former business buildings including a few remaining structures such as a grocery store, post office, motel, gas station, restaurant, along with a few other houses and structures
The inside of the gas station could make for a fun venue for a bar area – possibly?
The buildings are now all boarded up and ready for new owners to take over and renovate
Lobo is as about as remote as you could imagine in the middle of the desert in West Texas
The entire 10 acre plot of land, complete with buildings is for sale for $100,000
A star shaped fire pit is seen next to a dilapidated swimming pool
Quite a bit of upkeep and renovation would be required for any future buyer
‘We are not just trying to make a profit. We would like to find a group of people that want to do something interesting out there,’ Bardoff said. ‘We’re hoping to find a buyer with lots of energy, endurance, motivation and an interesting vision for Lobo’s future.’
The name Lobo refers to wolves that used to roam the area causing trouble.
The town rose to prominence between 1850 and 1860, when Lobo became a stop on the mail route from San Antonio to San Diego.
In the 1880s it became a watering stop and depot for the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1882.
In 1914, Lobo’s population was just 20 residents but the town grew and by 1962 there were 90 people living there despite two powerful earthquakes that sent people away.
The entire town needs a lot of work to restore its features including the pool area
The swimming pool is seen during better days when the town would attract visitors
During the festival the pool was used as a pit for a band to play
A sign at the side of the road was once used to welcome visitors who had travelled from afar
A disused motel is just one of the buildings included in the package
There are a number of outbuildings but nobody actually lives in the town full time
Weathered metal structures in the deserted town of Lobo, south of Van Horn on U.S. 90 in Culberson County, Texas
Eventually, a fall in the water table led to the town being unable to sustain its population or local businesses any longer.
The relocation of the town’s railroad station marked the final death knell.
As the town began to fade, a man named Bill Christ purchased the town in 1969, opened up a new gas station and general store.
Christ kept ownership of the town for another 22 years until 1991 when he was forced to sell it due to ‘crime and personal issues’, according to the property website.
Although Lobo needs some work, the sellers believe it still has potential as a desert hub for the arts or perhaps a retreat for nature lovers.
An ‘open-town’ event will be held over Memorial Day weekend for potential buyers to come and experience the town for themselves.