Historic Meeteetse Pitchfork Ranch up for sale

CODY — The Pitchfork Ranch, established in the 1880’s by Otto Frank Von Lichtenstein, has recently gone up for sale with a price tag of $67 million as current owners, Dr. Lenox and Dr. Fran Baker, plan to retire and enjoy more time with family.
This is only the third time it has gone up for sale throughout the ranch’s entire history.
The ranch was passed from Otto Frank, through six generations of the Phelps/Belden family, and finally to the Bakers – not just surviving, but building upon itself over the past century.
The Pitchfork has been a staple amongst the plethora of ranches in Wyoming, with a span of nearly 100,000 acres that the Bakers have aimed to preserve.
Currently, five people are employed full time by the ranch, although there is assistance from interns chosen via applications accepted throughout November.
Ben Anson, the real estate agent for the sale of the ranch and manager of the Pitchfork, holds some aspirations for the ranch’s future. He recalled the Bakers’ contributions to Cody and what life is currently like on the ranch.
Although the way of life and work on the ranch will ultimately be determined by whoever purchases it, the general hope is that the same principles of conservation will be upheld.
When asked what aspects of the Pitchfork he believes are important to preserve, Anson said, “I think keeping it a working ranch is something I’d like to see” and, despite only having a small number of full-time ranch hands, there is often assistance from neighboring and far-off ranches during brandings, where the comradery of ranch life truly shines through.