Saddle Up! Amazing Replica Old West Town in New Mexico Available for $1.6M

Jessica Bernstein for Sotheby’s International Realty

Head to Datil, NM, and you might find yourself wondering if you’ve wandered back in time. Because, in the so-called town of Gabriella, even though it was built this century, the spirit of the Old West lives on.

Set on 58 acres, the quaint replica settlement stakes a claim to be the “largest and most authentic Western town” in New Mexico and looks as if it’s right out of the 1880s.

The town and movie ranch is now on the market for $1.6 million—stagecoach included.

On the property are some 18 buildings, including a hotel and log cabin, a dance hall and saloon, a billiard hall, an “old-time” photography studio, and a barbershop with an antique barber chair. Authentic inside and out, it offers an entrepreneurial buyer the opportunity to turn this replica ranch into a booming business.

The labor of love was built from the ground up over 10 years by its owner, Larry Iams. He purchased the land two decades ago and executed on his one-of-a-kind vision.

“I love working with my hands. My time spent hammering each nail, all 400 pounds of them, and painting every sign, was an investment in my peace of mind,” he says.

Once Iams finished his task, he allowed the town to serve as a venue for everything from chuckwagon dinners and dances to weddings and private parties.

Of course, the setting is the perfect backdrop for a good, old-fashioned (fake) gunslinger’s duel at 10 paces.

“I love the dirt streets, the authentic feel during a gunfight reenactment, when you’re shot dead and fall to the ground in a cloud of dust,” says Iams.

Quite apart from the money that the property could make as a party and event venue, it could also offer a big potential revenue stream as a movie set. The replica town has already served as the backdrop for movies.

Iams, who lives nearby, is ready to hand over the reins and the upkeep to another owner who will appreciate the venue.

“I’ve been trying to keep the Old West history alive,” he says.

The timing certainly seems right. The listing agent, David Cordova with Sotheby’s International Realty, notes that there are plans for more filming in New Mexico, and that Netflix is ready to pour more money into productions here.

One key detail that sets this town apart? Unlike what you might see on a Hollywood backlot, the facades of the buildings in Gabriella aren’t just fake fronts. Iams took time to work on the interiors as well, for a more authentic look.

“They’re buildings, they’re all buildings. That’s the difference,” Cordova adds. “This is 1800s-type replica of a town.”

It’s not a movie set that needs to be torn down and rebuilt for every film shoot. So any production in need of a Western-themed shoot, with a real-life feel, need look no farther than Gabriella.

Another bonus is that the land has no traces of modern life—“no power lines, no people, no airplanes” as Cordova puts it—so narrative errors won’t be an issue.

“You can literally have the peace and quiet. It’s perfect for that,” he says, adding, “The nice thing about Westerns is they never go out of style.”

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