By: Shane Terrel – WAYNOKA OK – Woods County – (July 17, 2023) The auctioneer’s hammer dropped Wednesday evening shortly after 7 p.m. on 14 tracts of land totaling 290 acres that were offered for sale in an online auction event located near the Little Sahara State Park at Waynoka, Oklahoma. 

The auction included a mixture of 13 development tracts of land with one additional large native pasture.  Tract sizes ranging from 1 to 190 acres produced total contract prices just above $1.2 Million.  The auction metrics included registered bidders from 13 states placing over 700 bids with more than 11,000 online views watching the auction.  Sales were confirmed on all 14 tracts to 10 different buyers validating a well-diversified auction.

The Jones & Woolley Family of Woods County Oklahoma owned the land offered within the auction.  In 1997 this same family donated land to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department specifically to be used for the construction of what is now known as “Sahara Drive” and the connecting ATV Sand Trails that allow public access to the Little Sahara State Park.  The legacy shaped by Jones & Woolley Family, their vision and their dedication allow others to experience one of the great adventures of northwest Oklahoma. 

The original donation of land to the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department back in 1997 was orchestrated by Verla Jones and her two children Teddy Jones and Martha Woolley, all of whom are now deceased.  The earlier patriarch of the family Ted Jones (Verla’s husband) is remembered as serving the City of Waynoka for years as their Chief of Police.  His son, Teddy Jones served as the sheriff of Woods County Oklahoma and was very passionate about improving his community.  Teddy was also somewhat of a historian and fan of old western cowboy artifacts.  Teddy once built a museum at the northeast edge of Waynoka filling it mostly with his own personal collection.  As a testament to their predecessors the descendants of the family provided further economic opportunities to northwest Oklahoma and the City of Waynoka by dividing multiple tracts of family land to be offered on the open market near the state park at the south edge of town.

The Little Sahara State Park is a major family destination for offroad power sports enthusiasts, claiming over 1,600 acres of public access to sand dunes ranging in height from 25 to 75 feet.  The vast dunes have formed over time from terrace deposits and remnants of prehistoric times when the Cimarron River flowed over the entire area.  The main attraction to the park is dune buggy & ATV riding and the park is recognized as “One of the best riding spots in the Midwest”.  Multiple large events happen every year near the park, drawing a multitude of visitors, including the annual Rattlesnake Hunt, Drag Races, Sand Sports, and other events.  People from across the nation crowd the area on vacations, weekends and holidays for family fun and relaxation that support local businesses. 

The area around the Little Sahara State Park has recently caught the attention of multiple investors, the most notable being Ben Davis from Lubbock, Texas, who in the past 15 months has purchased over 360 acres near the north entrance to the state park.  Mr. Davis’s extensive development is well underway, providing amenities and events to the growing crowd of offroad enthusiasts that frequent the area.  Appropriately termed “America’s Oasis”, the development by Davis offers RV sites, cabins, campgrounds, and covered barns for rent.  The recreational resort also includes a newly constructed large venue to host major events and meeting places for guests.  Multiple events are scheduled for the coming season at America’s Oasis, including competition at their offroad event tracks for short course, drag strip and barrel racing.

The auction event was performed as a co-marketing effort by Hunting Country Real Estate and United Country/Heritage Brokers & Auctioneers.  The brokerages are led respectively by Shane & Mitchell Terrel at Hunting Country and Shawn & Lucinda Terrel at Heritage Brokers & Auctioneers.  The Terrel Family has collectively performed over 3,000 successful auctions, including live events, simulcast, and online-only events driven by the most up-to-date technology.  The Terrels are also the founders and co-owners of the #1 Google ranked website MineralMarketing.Com, a national marketing platform for American oil & gas assets. 

From the Auctioneers: We thank all our bidders for participating in this auction event and appreciate the trust our sellers placed in us to market their family land.

Respectfully,

Shawn, Shane, and Mitchell Terrel