Colorado landowners high on list

John Malone’s 2.2million acres ranks No. 1 in the U.S., and Stan Kroenke holds the No. 8 position.

John Malone passedTedTurner in 2011 as the country’s largest landowner. But he isn’t the only Coloradan who has amassed hundreds of thousands of acres.

“Colorado has a vibrant tradition of private landownership and stewardship,” said Eric O’Keefe, editor-in-chief of the Dallasbased Land Report, which this week released its annual list of the 100 largest U.S. landowners.

Spanish land grants allowed for the development of unusually large private holdings in such states asNewMexico and Colorado, and those have passed downthrough the years, O’Keefe said.

Malone, whomadehismoney in the cableTV business, has amassed 2.2 million acres. Earlier this year, hewent international, purchasing the Humewood Castle in Ireland.

Stan Kroenke, owner of the DenverNuggets andColoradoAvalanche, holds 848,571 acres inWyoming andMontana, enough to rank him as the nation’s eighth-largest landowner.

Phil Anschutz, the state’swealthiest resident after satellite magnate Charlie Ergen, holds 434,500 acres, which ranks 16th.

Patrick Broe atNo. 22 holds 317,677 acres, the bulk of it within the Great Western Ranch inNewMexico, a fixer-upper he elevated to one of that state’s premier ranches.

And there is LouisMoore Bacon, a hedgefund managerwho owns 215,990 acres, making him the nation’s 43rd-largest landowner.

Also on the list are the older holdings of the Booth and Linnebur families, each on different sides of the Continental Divide. They rank No. 84 and No. 95, respectively.