CARA BLANCA PARK, Texas — Dozens of families are being forced from home sites they've leased for years on Lake Diversion because of a sudden change announced by the new owner of the W.T. Waggoner Ranch.
Billionaire Stan Kroenke purchased the famous 535,000-acre property in February. It was listed for well more than $700 million by members of the Waggoner family, which had controlled the massive ranch for more than 160 years.
Jo Sharon Postelwait and her husband started leasing their dream piece of lakefront land in the 1960s.
They built a house, landscaped and eventually raised a family on the land.
Their lease was always year-to-year because she says that's how the Waggoners handled things.
But it all changed earlier this month.
"My niece saw the notice posted, and there it was," she said. "It's hard for me not to cry over the whole deal."
Letters were soon sent to lease holders stating that the ranch was "ending the Lake Diversion lease program and returning the lake shorelines to uninhabited grounds."
Everyone has to the end of January next year to move, and the letter states any remaining property "will be deemed to have been abandoned."
It says people that try to come by after that will be deemed trespassers.
Postelwait says their golden years are being turned upside down.
"My husband is 75; I’m 73," she said. " We’ve got to start over."
Lora Grayson and her husband are raising two young kids at their home near the lake.
She says they can't afford to rent anywhere else, and were assured by ranch staff that there would be no issues on their $1,500 annual lease once the larger ownership changed.
"We don't have anything saved up," Grayson said. "This is where we were going to raise the kids."
Requests for comment from Kroenke's sports business, real estate business or attorneys handling the non-renewal notices weren't returned on Tuesday.
Kroenke, who recently moved the NFL's St. Louis Rams to Los Angeles to become the LA Rams, also owns the Denver Nuggets NBA team, and NHL's Colorado Avalanche.
When he purchased the ranch in February, he said in a statement that “We are honored to assume ownership of the Waggoner — a true Texas and American landmark,” according to WFAA media partner the Fort Worth Star- Telegram.
Kyle Fergueson's family has a weekend cabin at the lake.
But Fergueson contends the homeowner have little impact on the lake over the decades, and that record rains the past two years have already restored much of the vegetation and scenery.
"“If you come out here early in the morning, or early evening, you’ll see the fish jumping," he said. "So, they’ve started to come back."
The letters also state that by giving 180 days notice, the landlord hopes that leaseholders can "make all necessary arrangements to remove your property and vacate the Premises prior to the Termination Date without undo hardship."
Families at the lake have set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for those strapped for cash and relocation.