Historic ranch with ties to early days of aviation is for sale in Kansas. See it

In the early days of American aviation, two daredevilish Kansans took to the skies and performed reckless, thrilling stunts for the thousands of people who’d line up to see them.

Karl Garver, the son of wealthy ranchers, and Cyle Horchem, a World War I Army flier, had co-founded the Garver Flying Circus — and brought dangerous, sometimes deadly, airshows to towns across the U.S.

The circus’ headquarters, known at the time as Garver Ranch near Attica, became “the place for all would-be aviators,” The Wichita Eagle previously reported, adding that it attracted Clyde Cessna, Walter Beech and Amelia Earhart, among others.

“It was the place to be if you were in aviation,” Lon Smith, former director of the Kansas Aviation Museum, told the Eagle in 2013. “The Garvers did some of the craziest, most daring stunts of the day. And they could party all night. They were the barnstormers of their day.”

Now that historic ranch is for sale. It’s called Lone Tree Farms, and the sellers are asking $4.3 million.

“Although the Flying Circus existed for only a few short years, its influence was significant. The barnstormers of the 1920s introduced countless Americans to flight, inspired future aviators, and played an important role in the growth of aviation across the country,” Hayden Outdoors Real Estate agents Stacy Callahan and Dax Hayden wrote in the listing. “The Garver Flying Circus was among the most recognized of these traveling air shows, leaving a lasting mark on both Kansas history and the story of early American flight.

“Today, this property serves as a tangible link to that extraordinary era — a place where the spirit of innovation, adventure, and exploration once took flight above the Kansas prairie,” they continued.

Lone Tree Farms for sale

Sitting on 1,509 acres, Lone Tree Farms offers cropland, native pasture and wildlife habitat, according to the listing. It includes a homestead, barn, grain silo and other outbuildings.

“The farm combines agricultural productivity, recreational opportunities, and generations of family stewardship into a unique legacy holding,” Callahan and Hayden said, adding that the farm has been stewarded by the same family since not long after World War II.

The farm has over 960 acres of cropland and around 500 acres of pasture. It can support about 300 head of cattle during winter grazing and offers about 10 acres per cow/calf pair during the growing season.

The property also provides “a rare opportunity to own and further develop a premier wildlife and recreational property in the heart of south-central Kansas.”

Trophy-caliber deer and migratory birds have been known to frequent the land, which has ponds, wetlands and small lakes.

Attica is about 65 miles southwest of Wichita.