Ever dream of becoming a land baron or baroness? Reality could be closer than you imagine.
More than 60,000 acres of raw, scenic land in Nevada are being sold to the public for the first time since the days of the Wild West.One hundred parcels are being offered to the highest bidders in a sealed-bid auction.
The former railroad right-of-way land - much of it now used for grazing - is located within 20 miles of either side of Interstate 80 between Reno and the Utah border.
Each parcel contains roughly 640 acres, the equivalent of one square mile, and mirrors the Nevada landscape. Parcels include range land, salt flats, meadows, desert and mountainous areas.
Some of the land is located in developed areas, and some areas are so untouched that "there are no houses for 100,000 acres," said Jeff David, president of Nevada Land and Resource Co.
"This is the first time in history the public has the opportunity to own a part of this rich heritage," he said. "Considering the boom northern Nevada is enjoying - especially in many cities along the I-80 corridor - the timing is ideal."
Minimum bids for the parcels start at $39,960 and range up to $200,000 for land backed up to national forests with snowcapped mountains. "But there's not a lot on the high end," David said. "Most of the stuff is clustered between $40,000 and $60,000."
David said the auction, which he's calling the Nevada Land Rush, has generated substantial interest from people looking for potential retirement or recreational homes.
The land has been owned by railroad interests since the 1862 Land Grant Act. Originally, every other square mile was granted to the rail barons so that tracks could be laid through Nevada and west to San Francisco.