Nestled within the sweeping panoramas of Nevada, where the rugged contours of the land whisper tales of yesteryears, the historic Jacks Valley Ranch beckons anew. Its vast stretches, measuring 1,230 acres of serene pastures and whispering forests, have become the subject of a significant real estate offering, valued at a grand sum of $15 million.
For over five decades, this storied expanse was the treasured dominion of John Ascuaga, a luminary of the casino world, who, after his passing in 2021, left behind a legacy as rich as the land itself. The ranch is a testament to a bygone era, predating even the statehood of Nevada, standing as a sentinel to the passage of time and history it has borne witness to.
The Ascuaga saga is one of a self-made magnate, whose journey from bellhop to baron charted through the hallowed halls of hospitality. A nascent Ascuaga, fresh from college, found his calling amidst the clatter of dishes in the Nugget Café of Sparks, Nevada. From such modest beginnings, he would forge an empire—one crowned by the illustrious John Ascuaga’s Nugget, a casino resort that grew from a modest coffee shop into a renowned Northern Nevada destination.
The tapestry of Jacks Valley Ranch’s past is interwoven with the lives of erstwhile owners who themselves left indelible marks upon the Silver State, including a former governor, an oil magnate, and a veritable pioneer of the culinary world. The ranch has also flirted with silver screen fame, hosting the legendary John Wayne during the filming of his swansong, “The Shootist,” thereby sewing its narrative into Hollywood’s Western cinematic lore.
Guardianship of the land weighed heavily on Ascuaga’s heart, prompting him to secure its future with an embrace from the Nevada Land Trust. By means of a conservation easement, an impressive 1,169 acres were shielded from the relentless march of development—ensuring the ranch’s continued existence as a slice of the picturesque Old West.
Residences dot the property, the main home boasting spatial generosity and familial warmth with three bedrooms, ornate baths, and an inviting two-car garage, encapsulating the architectural spirit of 1963. Complementing it are three abodes seeped in mid-century charm, each a quaint retreat to simpler times. The ranch’s assets are further enriched with prolific barns, abundant irrigated pastureland, and the precious gift of deeded water rights measuring over four thousand acre-feet.
The lifeblood of the ranch, Jacks Valley Creek, brings rejuvenating waters in a cycle as steady as time itself, nurturing lush natural springs and filling tanks which quench the thirsty earth. Amongst this tableau, expanses of conifer forests stand proudly beside swathes of sage and bitterbrush, painting a scene of unbridled beauty.
Now, as Chase International ushers Jacks Valley Ranch onto the market stage, it promises a new chapter for this emblem of Nevada’s heritage. It awaits a steward who values the intertwining of history, nature, and the promise of legacies still to be written on this land of dreams and destinies.
