After years of growing the property, the Roosevelt family is selling Rolling R Ranch, which now encompasses about 1,300 acres.
Shannon Faulk
Elliott “Tony” Roosevelt Jr. — a Texas oil executive and grandson of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt — has been slowly building a ranch north of Dallas-Fort Worth.
He purchased the first parcel of land in Cooke County nearly 30 years ago and has been expanding the property, buying adjacent properties, bit by bit. His daughter, Liz Kelly, said the property is super meaningful to her family.
“My dad sort of has a ranching, love of nature background, and it’s always been his dream to kind of assemble property together for a big continuous ranch in Texas,” Kelly said.
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After years of growing the property, the Roosevelt family is selling the ranch. Rolling R Ranch, which now encompasses about 1,300 acres, was listed for $21.5 million on Saturday.
The family ranch of the Roosevelt family was listed for $21.5 million. The ranch was built by Elliott “Tony” Roosevelt Jr., the grandson of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Shannon Faulk
Kelly said the ranch property has been a dream come true for her father and a fabulous place for their family to gather over the years.
Rolling R Ranch was built slowly and purposefully. In 2001, the family built a 2,800-square-foot barndominium that could serve as the ranch headquarters or additional lodging.
Shannon Faulk
Rolling R Ranch’s main house was built in 2014. The house includes four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, a swimming pool and a hot tub.
Shannon Faulk
Rolling R Ranch includes about 15 pastures. Rolling R Ranch was listed for $21.5 million.
Shannon Faulk
Rolling R Ranch’s main house was built in 2014. The home features an open-concept great room and a screened-in porch next to the kitchen.
Shannon Faulk
Elliott Roosevelt Jr. was first introduced to the site — located between Rosston and Era — by his sister who owned property across from the original 150 acres that he bought, Kelly said. His sister later sold him her ranch and as other people in the area looked to sell their land, they often went to him first, Kelly said.
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The Cooke County ranch grew to contain forests, grasslands, pecan groves, space for cattle operations and nearly three miles of a creek. The ranch’s elevated vantage points offer views of sunrises and Texas sunsets that stretch across the horizon, according to the listing.
Rolling R Ranch also has room for hunting, fishing and horseback riding. The ranch has 15 total pastures and a dedicated camping area, according to the listing. Wildlife like white-tailed deer, Rio Grande turkey, wild hogs, coyotes, songbirds and other animals can be found on the property.
Rolling R Ranch grew to contain forests, grasslands, pecan groves, space for cattle operations and nearly three miles of a creek.
Shannon Faulk
The ranch was built slowly and purposefully. Kelly said she remembered the first building on the property was a small equipment shed. She said the family would camp when they stayed on the property.
In 2001, the family built a 2,800-square-foot barndominium that could serve as the ranch headquarters or additional lodging, according to the listing. The building’s upper level contains four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a screened balcony. The lower level features a workshop and a four-stall horse barn. The home on the property came later.
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Rolling R Ranch was built slowly and purposefully. In 2001, the family built a 2,800-square-foot barndominium that could serve as the ranch headquarters or additional lodging.
Shannon Faulk
“He did not want to build a major home up there until he knew exactly what spot that should be,” Kelly said. “And so he spent nights camping along the various ridges, trying to figure out what the best location for the main house would be.”
He settled on a site overlooking his sister’s property. After he bought the property from his sister, the ranch’s main house was built in 2014. The house features an open-concept great room and a screened-in porch next to the kitchen. The house includes four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, a swimming pool and a hot tub.
Rolling R Ranch, which now encompasses about 1,300 acres, was listed for $21.5 million.
Shannon Faulk
The ranch was a weekend retreat. Kelly said the property was the site of the birthdays, music festivals and campouts for the Roosevelt family. The family played in the yard, raced small boats in the creek and would gather around the pool and campfire at the ranch.
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Elliott Roosevelt Jr. turned 90 last month. Kelly said her mom isn’t far behind him. She said they were only able to get up to the ranch about two or three times this year. The family is all older, Kelly said, and it’s time for a younger family to come in and build those memories.
Elliott Roosevelt Jr. is shown with Jimmy Hawkins and Toby Roosevelt at the Roosevelt Firm in Dallas.
Staff Photographer
The Roosevelt family arrived in Dallas-Fort Worth when Elliott Roosevelt — the second son of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt — was set up on a date with Ruth Googins when he was in Fort Worth. The couple had three children who were raised in Fort Worth, including Elliott Roosevelt Jr.
He grew up on a ranch west of Fort Worth and went to Colorado A&M, now Colorado State, where he studied animal husbandry. However, he got into the oil and gas business first, Kelly said.
Elliott Roosevelt Jr.’s career has included purchasing natural gas fields and extracting oil through sophisticated techniques. He’s still active in the oil and gas industry, Kelly said, and has two companies, E R Operating Company and Roosevelt Resources.
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Elliott Roosevelt Jr. and his family moved to several different cities, but they eventually landed in Dallas. Rolling R Ranch was the family’s sanctuary just over an hour outside of Dallas.
Rolling R Ranch’s main house includes four bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, a swimming pool and a hot tub.
Shannon Faulk
Rolling R Ranch has a story to tell, said Cash McWhorter, a broker managing the listing. McWhorter, Blake Hortenstine and Jonathan James of Hortenstine Ranch Company have the listing. The ranch’s story deserves to be told because it’s not your everyday ranch asset, McWhorter said.
“They put it together over time,” he said. “We want to make sure and take care of that, and conserve that for the next family, and find the right family that will take it over.”
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Rolling R Ranch grew to contain forests, grasslands, pecan groves, space for cattle operations and nearly three miles of a Clear Creek.
Shannon Faulk