Neal Wanless, the South Dakotan who won a sizable Powerball jackpot in the late 2000s has listed the 50,000-acre ranch he compiled in the years following the drawing. This summer, Wanless listed the estate—which is called the Bismarck Trail Ranch, and situated in the Southeast corner of South Dakota—for $41.15 million.
The property includes 41,822 deeded acres, give or take. It also includes land leased from the state and the Bureau of Land Management. It is located about 50 acres from Rapid City.
The ranch land features grassy hills, and frontage on the Belle Fourche River. The listing information calls it a ‘luxury working ranch’; it certainly fits the description, with extensive agricultural land and livestock facilities. About 875 acres of the land on the property is irrigated by a spare-no-expense system of stock tanks, dams, wells, and pipeline.
There are four homes on the ranch, all custom-built by Wanless. The property is divided into East and West sections; the houses are situated across the river. Although there are no interior photos of the homes, the owner’s residence appears to be a three-level structure with an exterior of stone and wood.
Wanless won the jackpot of $232.1 million in the May 27, 2009 Powerball drawing. He elected to take the one-time payment, which amounted to just over $118 million; after taxes, he netted an estimated $88.5 million. He began to build his dream ranch within months of claiming his prize.