An entire town just outside of Yellowstone National Park has gone up for sale for just $2.6 million in a rare opportunity less than an hour from the park's entrance.
The town of Pray in the heart of Paradise Valley not only comes with convenient access to the national park, but also with plenty of history and charm, including a store dating back 100 years.
Pray, founded in 1907, has its own zip code and post office and already generated a rental income of over $300,000 in 2023.
Its income was also only set to increase in 2024, the property's listing agentMike Rutkowski with eXp realty told Cowboy State Daily.
The income comes from five housing units, including three Amish cabins, situated within the town.
Rutkowski told the outlet: 'They were built by Mill Canyon Log Homes in Idaho.And they’re awesome. Everyone who’s seen them is like, "These are amazing." They are, I think, like 10-inch logs, Swedish cope, so they are just like beautiful.'
'There’s a big 5-acre field out back, which has a design for eight to nine cabins, currently,' he continued.
Rutkowski hopes that the town could continue to grow, and said its new owners could begin building million dollar homes on the expanse of land.
The town of Pray in the heart of Paradise Valley comes not only with convenient access to the national park, but also with plenty of history and charm, including a store dating back 100 years
Pray, founded in 1907, has its own zip code and post office and generates a rental income of over $300,000 per year
'They used to weigh their babies on the meat scale in the General store in the early 1900s,' listing agent Mike Rutkowski said. 'So, it’s very historic. And it was the original post office, which is still in there'
'It’s all up to them,' he added.
The town's most unique selling point is its functioning historic post office, a rarity that has helped keep Pray standing.
Unlike many other frontier towns, Pray's running post office has maintained its own post code - 59865- thanks to the government service.
You can still find locals wandering to collect their post from the long-standing building, and it remains a reminder of the town's history.
'They used to weigh their babies on the meat scale in the General store in the early 1900s,' Rutkowski said. 'So, it’s very historic. And it was the original post office, which is still in there.'
While in its founding it was surpassed by connecting railroads and migration, Rutkowski said the town still sees plenty of traffic as travelers make their way to Yellowstone 45 minutes away.
But Yellowstone is not all the small town has to offer in terms of proximity, as it lies not far from many attractions.
'There’s Pine Creek Lodge, there’s Chico (Hot Springs), which everybody knows Chico, and there’s Yellowstone Hot Springs down further,' Rutkowski told the outlet.
Pray,just outside of Yellowstone National Park, has gone up for sale for just $2.6 million in a rare opportunity less than an hour from the park's entrance
'[The old houses] are slowly getting replaced by these huge mansions everywhere, but this would be ideal to conserve this little epicenter of Old West,' Rutkowski said
The town isn't listed on the National Register of Historic Places either, so the owner could essentially build however they choose to.'It’s really up to whatever they want to do,' he added. 'There’s no zoning out there either'
'There’s Sage Lodge, which is like a five-star luxury resort that just got built a few years ago. I think Pray is more for the locals than tourists, but tourists would come here, for sure.'
It also lies not far from Yellowstone Film Ranch, where many a western movie has been filmed in front of the Montana scenery, including Murder at Yellowstone City, The Old Way, and The Gunslinger.
Inquiries thus far have brought up plans to make Pray a tourist town.
'It’s a lot of work, but I mean, it’s epic,' Rutkowski said. 'The traffic I want to say is 400,000 people a year on Highway 89. So, if we can siphon off some of that traffic, we would be very busy.'
The town isn't listed on theNational Register of Historic Places either, so the owner could essentially build however they choose to.
'It’s really up to whatever they want to do,' he added. 'There’s no zoning out there either.'
But Rutkowski said that any conversations regarding the town's sale so far, have been eager to maintain its historic sites.
Buildings such as the town's historic post office are in need of repairs, including a new roof.
Yellowstone is not all the small town has to offer in terms of proximity, as it lies not far from many attractions. 'There’s Pine Creek Lodge, there’s Chico (Hot Springs), which everybody knows Chico, and there’s Yellowstone Hot Springs down further,' Rutkowski said
While in its founding it was surpassed by connecting railroads and migration, Rutkowski said the town still sees plenty of traffic as travelers make their way to Yellowstone
'Most of the people I’ve been talking to about the property are not looking to tear this down, though,' he said.
'Most of them want to know about, like, "What’s it going to cost to fix this? How can we fix it?" The conversations never go like, "Oh, let’s just tear it down and start fresh,"' he added.
The surrounding area has houses from the 'old Montana' before things 'blew up,' he said.
'There is one across the street next door,' Rutkowski said. 'And there’s, across the street, some old houses that are log, original, and then there’s the Pray Bar next door. So, these are all perfect for preserving.'
Rutkowski is hopeful with big plans for the small town, and expects its new ownership will help bring the small town into the light.
'[The old houses] are slowly getting replaced by these huge mansions everywhere, but this would be ideal to conserve this little epicenter of Old West,' he said.
