Remembering Ted Turner: Media Mogul, South Dakota Rancher

He was one of the most well-known and at times most controversial figures in America, but regardless of what you thought of Ted Turner, when he passed away on Wednesday (May 6) at the age of 87, he left behind quite a legacy.

From heading the WTBS 'Superstation' in 1976, to owning baseball's Atlanta Braves and basketball's Atlanta Hawks beginning in the late 70's, to launching CNN in 1980, Turner and his brand seemed to be everywhere in American culture for parts of three decades.

As if all that wasn't enough for one man, he also won the 1977 America’s Cup on his yacht, Courageous, and was married to Jane Fonda from 1991 to 2001.

READ MORE: Boston Celtics, Red Sox Honor Memory of South Dakota Teenager

But lost in all of that was the massive amount of land Turner accumulated over the years, including more than 250,000 acres in South Dakota.

The majority of that land is the 141,000-acre Bad River Ranch in central South Dakota. The Bad River runs through the property, the mouth of which is where Lewis and Clark met the Teton Sioux. The ranch is home to one of the largest bison herds in the state, with 1,400 breeding females, with plans to grow to 2,200 head in the future.

Turner also owns Standing Butte Ranch in central South Dakota and McGinley Ranch, a 79,292-acre property that sits on the state line at northern Nebraska and southern South Dakota.

Turner's South Dakota land is just a small part of the roughly 2 million acres he owned in other states, including Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas.

His holdings, totaling over 15 ranches, focus on sustainable agriculture, conservation, and hosting the world's largest private bison herd (over 45,000 head). The ranches also promote sustainable agriculture, conservation, and habitat restoration for species like bison, wolves, and trout.

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