Smooth Rock Springs

Description

Smooth Rock Springs is a 53-acre property located just southeast of Allen, OK in Hughes County, about a mile from a paved road, 2 1/2 hours from Dallas and 1 1/2 hours from Oklahoma City. It has 1320 feet of road frontage on County Road 149 and another 220 feet on County Road 373. The main entry for the property is on the south boundary from County Road 149. From that point, you cross a small spring fed creek that has ponds constructed both upstream and downstream of the crossing. Afterwards, the main road continues uphill to a gravel pit and splits off into a series of trails that access the wooded areas of the property.  

This property is in a small, geologically quirky area that has some atypical features. For example, the gravel pit on this property is not in a creek or river bottom like most pits, instead, it's on top of a hill. In addition, the soil itself is a coarse sand with smooth gravel that ranges from pea gravel to small cobbles. These types of deposits are typically found along river channels where the rocks are worn smooth as they roll along the riverbed for hundreds or thousands of miles. Smooth Rock Springs is unusual in that these materials are deposited on a hilltop located five miles from the nearest river. In addition, this area is known for its shallow groundwater and numerous springs. True to the area, this property also has a large spring that feeds the small chain of ponds along the southern border. The local explanation is that these gravel and sand deposits are related to an ancient river that once flowed through the area. The sediments left behind by that primordial river create the setting for the unusual surface features we see today.

In terms of vegetation, the land is about 80 percent wooded with scattered natural openings, ponds and the gravel pit being the balance of the land. The woods of the property are your typical cross-timber mixture of post oak, blackjacks and red oaks. Deer tracks are easy to see on the property and we saw a couple of deer while filming. Although on the small side, it could make a nice hunting property with some good management and by limiting hunting pressure. In addition, the constant flow of spring water through the ponds has the makings of a nice fishery. In fact, there is significant opportunity to enhance these ponds by building up the dams higher and creating a set of drawdown pipes to manage water levels for either fish or waterfowl.

The gravel pit gives us an interesting insight into the soil layers of the property. A gray colored layer made primarily of gravel and coarse sand is located at the top and has a distinct boundary below it where the soil turns bright red and grades into a sandy clay. A layer of shale lies below the clay. The gravel can be used for roads and driveways and the clay has been used for building house pads in the past. These gravel and potential fill resources add an interesting commercial opportunity to the property that we don't normally see. The owner estimates over that there are well over 100,000 yards of pea gravel on the property. Given it is located at the surface, mining it would be a straightforward process once proper permits were in place.

Rural water and electricity are readily available along the road frontage and in the past the spring was used to supply a former homestead with water. In that light, its also easy to see the property being developed into an attractive building location with a homesite on top of the hill overlooking the chain of spring fed ponds below it. In conclusion, the natural features of this property lend themselves equally well to a multitude of uses. If you are looking for a property with unusual features and flexibility like Smooth Rock Springs, please call Sean Childress at 580 320 5791.