Scenic, once known as a Wild West town next to the Badlands, now finds itself in an unlikely place: listed for sale by the woman who has owned much of the town for years.
And she is hoping to get as much as $799,000 for 46 acres of West River land that includes 12 acres of a town that holds fond memories but finds itself in danger of becoming another Western ghost town.
“The businesses and land has always been family-run, but now, it’s time for someone else to come in and bring it back to life,” said LeeAnn Keester, the daughter of Twila Merril, who has listed most of the town of Scenic for sale. “It’s just me and my mom now, and now, with her health being what it is, it’s just too much for us.”
...
“The town sees around 700 cars go through on a day-to-day basis,” said David Olsen, broker associate for Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate. “We just need one to stop long enough and get a buyer in here.”
The listing includes 46 acres, with 12 acres in town and 34 acres surrounding it. It includes a U.S Post Office land lease, the Longhorn Fuel & Food Convenience Store, the Longhorn Saloon, a museum with knotty pine interiors, two homes and two jails.
...
Scenic is an unincorporated town that is governed by a township board, which means that a sale of the community to another party will have no effect on fire protection or the availability of water and sewer services, according to Scenic Fire Chief Mike Lehrkamp.
“As far as the fire department, it won’t affect us at all because it’s owned by the township,” he said. “The water and sewer system is owned by the township, too, so that won’t be affected, and everything will go as it always has up until this point."
...
Olsen said the listing has the potential to do very well during the Sturgis rally, especially the Longhorn Saloon, which he said was once a hot spot for motorcyclists passing through.
To be honest, if gambling and zoning laws weren't as fucked as they are and I were a billionaire I would buy this in a heartbeat.
It's down the block from a national park, you can throw up some casinos, some "tourist" historical crap along the lines of Deadwood. (Which is about 100 miles away.) There's no way you don't make buck on this.
