In the heart of Nebraska’s Sandhills, where rolling grasslands stretch toward the horizon, the historic Metzger Ranch—also known as the Abbott Ranch—is up for sale. Spanning 55,136 acres in Cherry County, including 51,856 deeded acres and 3,280 leased from the state, the $50 million listing marks the end of an era for one of Nebraska’s most iconic cattle operations.
Established in the late 1800s, the ranch has had just two owners. W.A. Metzger first claimed the land under the Preemption Act of 1841. By the mid-1880s, Arthur Abbott had made his way from Texas, driving cattle north and eventually settling with his family near the growing village of Hyannis. The Abbotts would grow into one of Nebraska’s most influential families—by the 1920s, Arthur’s son Christopher Abbott was the state’s largest landowner, holding over 250,000 acres, ten banks, and several lumber companies. The family purchased the Metzger Ranch in 1969.
Today, the ranch remains a well-balanced, low-overhead, year-round cow-calf operation with 2,500 head of cattle. It includes five homes, a bunkhouse, cattle facilities, a horse barn, airplane hangar, shop, and various outbuildings. The south end, anchored by sub-irrigated meadows along Gordon Creek, serves as the headquarters and winter feed base. The north, with nine miles of the Snake River, functions as summer range. A separate 7,781-acre parcel, the Tailbone, lies to the northwest.
Situated above the Ogallala Aquifer, the ranch boasts abundant live water, productive native rangeland, and excellent wildlife habitat. Deer, trout, and walleye thrive alongside the cattle, reflecting generations of responsible land stewardship.
Now, as the property prepares to transition to new ownership, the Metzger Ranch remains a symbol of Nebraska’s ranching heritage—where tradition, sustainability, and legacy come together in the wide-open Sandhills.
