Mayor lists Montana town and its 681 population for sale at $1.4M

Posted on by Listify Me

By
Nina Golgowski

Last updated at 7:47 PM on 3rd March 2012

For a cool $1.4 million, a five-acre Montana town complete with a general store, post office and listed population of 681, can be yours.

The current mayor of Pray in Paradise Valley, whose population is largely outside its center, is inviting a new hand in running the rustic town that aside from its recently modified post office, has all but stopped in time.

‘It’s right now just existing and I think somebody else can make it thrive,’ said Barbara Walker, the town’s current mayor, to KTVM.

For sale: The five-acre town of Pray in Montana’s Paradise Valley is up for sale by its current mayor for $1.4 million

Today the town is equipped with a small trailer park, general store – which is currently closed – and the newly government-built post office to replace the previous PO Boxes used up until the late 90s inside the store.

‘The locals like it,’ Mrs Walker said, brushing her fingers across the wall of rust-colored dials, even though some of the locks rarely worked.

She said the town had been safe and trusting enough so that security hardly mattered.

Amenities: The rustic town comes complete with a small trailer park, brand new post office and a general store which is currently closed

Help needed: The current mayor, Barbara Walker, has singlehandedly taken on the role of garbage collector, sheriff, and a stint in animal control while trying to maintain order

History: Founded in 1907, the town has been passed down through Mrs Walker’s late-husband’s family over three generations with his mother Ruby Walker seen out front the general store here

Mrs Walker tells KTVM her time as mayor has been fun, emphasizing her power to direct government employees around playfully as one example.

‘…the Postal Service was like, ‘well I think you’re suppose to do that,’ and I was just like, ‘nope, the mayor says you’re suppose to do it,’ she laughs. ‘So that’s been fun.’

But with her husband passing in 2006, she’s had to operate the town of Pray entirely on her own.

Location: Situated between Livingston, Montana and the Yellowstone National Park, the town boasts its location as a major part of its charm

Ghost town: The general store seen here, though currently closed, use to be a major hub for the locals

Residents: The town’s listed population of 681 according to the US Census Bureau, resides for the most part within the town’s name but out of sight

‘Oh my God,’ she recalled to the Billings Gazette, ‘I hauled garbage for two days.’

Along with garbage control, she says she singlehandedly also tried to operate the general store, be the sheriff, and the animal control officer.

Mrs Walker originally inherited her throne with her late-husband Johnny in the early 2000s after the passing of his mother Ruby Walker, who in her own turn, inherited it from her own mother.

Updates: One of the town’s latest projects was a post office built by the government in recent years, as it’s seen here

Personal charm: Prior to the US post office, the PO Boxes inside the general store, shown by Mrs Walker, were beloved by the town’s people when it was open

Historic disrepair: The town along highway 540 between Yellowstone National Park and the city of Livingston, has immense history Mrs Walker says, but needs some admitted repair

Founded in 1907 along highway 540 and a railroad connecting Yellowstone National Park to the city of Livingston, there’s immense history within it she says that shouldn’t be neglected, but it’ll take more than herself to get it running again.

‘It’s really meant for someone to come in with a vision and make a bed and breakfast or coffee shop or general store,’ said Bart Miller, the property’s realtor with Mason Morse Ranch Co to the Gazette.

‘It’s kind of a unique property,’ he said.

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