A Texas Ghost Town is For Sale For Only $100K A Texas Ghost Town is For Sale For Only $100K : The Hearty Soul

A Texas ghost town called Lobo, meaning wolf, hit the market in 2023 and was selling for $100,000. The current owner hoped a buyer would “restore the town to its glory days,” noting he could no longer afford to do so.

A 10-Acre Texas Ghost Town

An image of hotel in a Texas ghost town. Greenery, blue sky, and white clouds in the background. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

The Texas ghost town is surprisingly small. It sits on around 10-acres and was purchased for $20,000 in 2001. The current owner, Alexander Bardorff, and a few friends from Germany made the purchase on a whim after drving through and seeing it for sale.

A Getaway Destination

An image of a home in a Texas ghost town. Greenery, blue sky, and a power line in the background. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

The Texas ghost Town of Lobo was abandoned in 1991. The town now has a former hotel, post office and grocery store, and gas station. Bardorff explained that he and his friends bought the place to restore it. They’d planned to use it “as a get away from the busy city life and relax in the country,” he said.

Costs Less than a House

An image of an abandoned hotel. Greenery in the background. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

However, he can no longer afford to maintain the Texas ghost town. As a result, it’s on the market for $100,000, an astonishingly low number and “less than most houses” according to Fox26Houston.

A Texas Ghost Town’s Complex History

An empty room with two shades of yellow paint. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

The Texas ghost town of Lobo is located in Culberson County in western Texas and was founded in the 1800s. It has an interesting history including its role in mail delivery and the railroad.

In its prime, the quaint Texas ghost town had a population of around 100 people. Sadly, the population began to decline in the 1950s. By the 1960s, the population had decreased by over half and less than 40 years later, the town was completely abandoned.

A Non-Profit for the Texas Ghost Town

A sliding glass door in a building with stone walls. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

According to a non-profit city website: “Lobo was twelve miles south of Van Horn on the Southern Pacific line and U.S. Highway 90 in southwestern Culberson County. Near the site were the Van Horn Wells, the only dependable water source for miles. The wells were a stop on the San Antonio-San Diego mail route in the 1850s and 1860s.”

Additional History of a Texas Ghost Town

An abandoned building. Greenery in the background. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

Around 20 years later, the Texas ghost town was a thriving part of the railway system and had a depot and area for loading cattle and in 1907 the post office opened, seemingly solidifying Lobo, Texas as booming places in the U.S.

How the Town Got Its Name

A living room inside an abandoned building. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

The Texas ghost town got its name from the wolves that once ruled the area and, “Storekeeper J. Curtis Jones was postmaster. In 1909 a townsite was laid out at Lobo; promoters advertised artesian wells and a large hotel, among other amenities, but when the purchasers arrived they discovered that they had been duped. Through legal action, however, they forced the promoters to build a hotel, drill wells, and generally live up to their promises,” the town’s page continues.

The Beginning of the End

An unfinished room with wood walls and various shades of blue paint. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

“In 1911, when Culberson County was organized, Lobo vied unsuccessfully with Van Horn to become the county seat, and in 1914 Lobo had an estimated population of twenty, two physicians, several cattle breeders, an automobile livery, and a general store.”

An Earthquake Seals the Town’s Fate

An unfinished room with several building materials. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

Unfortunately, an earthquake destroyed the hotel in 1929 and the population continuously decreased. “Its post office closed in 1942, but its estimated population rose to twenty-five in the mid-1940s, thanks in part to the location of the Texas Mica Company headquarters and two railroad houses in Lobo.”

Popular for Irrigation

A room in a building in a Texas ghost town. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

Eventually the town was popular for irrigation and cotton production, which helped sustain the Texas ghost town’s life for a few more years. However, the railroad stop was shut down in 1962. Although a few businesses continued operating, crime became rampant and the town was eventually abandoned and put on the market for $60,000 until the 90s, when it was bought at a discount by Bardorff and his friends.

Possible Uses for the Space

An almost empty kitchen. — *Image Credit: KissFMTexas*

The space has been proposed for many things including a Kangaroo sanctuary. Meanwhile, the current owner has rented out the area for art and film festivals. The sale of the Texas ghost town generated interest worldwide including interest from several investors, history buffs, and contractors.