Own not only a piece of the American Dream, but a piece of America itself

Owning property is a large part of fulfilling the American dream, but how about owning an entire town? Pray, Mont., founded in 1909, was once a famous stopping point for travelers driving to Yellowstone National Park before the highway came to the area. Now you can own it!

The offices of United Country – Mason & Morse Ranch Company of Glenwood, Colo., and United Country – Shobe Auction & Realty of Lewistown, Mont., have entered into a joint marketing agreement to sell the entire town of Pray, Mont., at an auction event on-site on June 27 at 6:30 p.m.

Barbara Walker’s family has run the town since 1953, but when she lost her husband Johnny to cancer in 2006, she found that maintaining the town was too difficult to do alone. She made the decision that it was time to sell Pray and move on to new opportunities.

Walker said being the owner of Pray doesn’t have to be a difficult job. “The town is pretty low-maintenance,” she said. “You collect the rent once a month and water and mow the lawn. I’m hoping somebody buys it because they want to do something with it.” This five-acre property features a historic 1950s-style store with two commercial spaces within and space to expand into the remaining five rooms. The store is filled with several antique artifacts that are included in the sale.

This build qualifies for historical designation with the State of Montana. The town also has a newer energy-efficient building with commercial space and an apartment. Pray also has established rental income with a U.S. Post Office land lease for their building, which provides the town with its own zip code. “A zip code … that’s it, plain and simple,” Walker said. “It was the reason for Pray becoming Pray in 1909 and that’s the reason it’s called a town today.”

Pray is located in the heart of Paradise Valley and only 22 miles from Livingston, Mont., 30 miles from Gardiner, Mont., and 30 miles from Yellowstone National Park. It is also near Chico Hot Springs Resort and Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness, which offers over 1,000,000 acres of forest land for the public to access year-round.

For more information or to view the property, visit unitedcountry.com.