SPECIAL ATTENTION: THIS PROPERTY IS LOCATED Southeast of Detroit, Michigan, on Lake Erie, in Essex County, Ontario, Canada
AVAILABLE FOR ACQUISITION: Big Creek Farms is a beautiful, all-season outing place explicitly scripted for the outdoor enthusiast. The land offers a handsome lodge and cabins resting on the shore of Lake Erie, excellent waterfowl hunting, and endless outdoor opportunities for family and friends.
425.0 +/- total acres and 8,000 sqft. lodge
Historic hunting property and family outing place
Outstanding waterfowl hunting (baiting permit)
All-season outdoor recreation opportunities
Highly-developed and professionally managed
Marshland, timber and natural areas, and farmland
Excellent primary access and interior road system
3,225 +/- feet of beautiful, sandy lake erie shoreline
30 miles from detroit and 20 miles from amherstburg 30 minutes from windsor international airport
425.0 +/- Total Contiguous Acres
325.0 +/- acres: Marshland and various wetlands and small ponds associated with Big Creek
45.0 +/- acres: Tillable farmland suitable for crop cultivation or conservation
43.0 +/- acres: Dispersed timbered and natural vegetation areas
5.5 +/- acres: Central Grounds (main lodge, guest cabins, storage buildings, lakefront beach, and surrounding landscaped area)
1.5 +/- acres: Staging area (large equipment storage building and grain bins) 3.0 +/- acres: Lake Erie frontage (3,225 feet of total sandy lake frontage)
2.0 +/- acres: Interior roads, trails, and other
Big Creek Farms is a extraordinary opportunity to acquire one of North Americas classic sporting and outdoor lifestyle properties. This beautiful outing place offers 425.0 +/- contiguous acres, a handsome lodge on the shore of Lake Erie, excellent waterfowl hunting on Big Creek Marsh, and year-round outdoor recreational opportunities for entertaining family, friends, and business associates.
The property is well-appointed, from the hunting locations and interior roads and trails to the details of the lodge, guest cabins, central grounds, and management facilities. These improvements grant a new owner an outstanding and fully functional recreational property. The landholding comprises marshland, farmland, scattered timber areas, natural vegetation, and 3,225 feet of sandy Lake Erie shoreline frontage. The central grounds offer magnificent unobstructed views of Lake Erie and Big Creek Marsh.
Big Creek Marsh is well-known for outstanding waterfowl hunting. The marsh and surrounding area have a unique history in waterfowl hunting and wildlife conservation. Just west is the famous Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Numerous captains of industry, such as Gar Wood (world speed boat king and founder of Garwood Boats), Bud Fruehauf (founder of Fruehauf Trailer Corporation), Dick Fruehauf (businessman involved in the oil and gas industry), and Robert Fisher (inventor of the seatbelt buckle and founder of Fisher Body Company) have owned and hunted Big Creek Marsh. From the previous proprietors to the current owner, these stewards have all shared a passion for the land, conservation, and wildlife.
Big Creek Farms has 325.0 +/- acres that constitute the expansive Big Creek Marsh, a diverse, shallow wetland. The marshland is interspersed by cattails and aquatic natural vegetation, providing valuable waterfowl food and cover. Big Creek Marsh (approximately 900 +/- acres) offers one of the most extensive and essential waterfowl habitats in the immediate region. The land is positioned at the extreme southern boundary of Canada and is a significant waterfowl staging area for the Mississippi Flyway. As October approaches, vast numbers of ducks and geese migrate along the rivers and tributaries from the provinces of Quebec and Ontario to this age-old destination. Waterfowl arrive through this corridor as a final stop and concentrate in the area before dispersing on their annual southern journey. Ducks Unlimited has estimated that due to the high concentrations of waterfowl moving through this region, 80% of black ducks traveling down the Mississippi Flyway pass through this area.
The landholding is well-developed for waterfowl hunting. Six hunting locations have blinds, and three have electricity to power ice-eaters when needed. Big Creek Farms has a baiting license issued by the Canadian authorities, which allows food for waterfowl to be distributed in non-hunted rest areas. Duck season in Ontario is 110 days (late September through early January), and there is a special 10-day goose season prior to duck season. Dove season is from September 1 through November 15.
An important water control structure (dam) is in place to help control water levels on Big Creek Marsh. Additionally, two pumping systems can move 18,000 gallons of water per minute in and out of Big Creek. These systems help maintain the water on Big Creek Marsh at an optimum level. Big Creek Farms and the adjoining landowner own the pumping systems and share in the expenses.
Although most of Big Creek Farms is proportioned for waterfowl hunting and wildlife habitat, the central grounds rest steps away from the shore of Lake Erie, providing the quintessential lake and beach lifestyle. The spring and summer months offer endless outdoor activities to enjoy, such as power boating, sailing, fishing, multiple watersports, shooting clays, wildlife photography, cooking out, playing pickleball, sunbathing on the sandy beachfront, or just relaxing on the porch and enjoying the quiet country life.
There are 45 +/- acres of tillable cropland, which may be farmed for income or utilized for hunting and wildlife conservation. A local land maintenance company manages the property. Over the years, the company owner has been directly involved in 32 years of development, management, and day-to-day operations of the lodge and property. The owner is also an adjoining landowner.
Big Creek Farms is located in Essex County, Ontario, Canada, just southeast of Detroit, Michigan. The land sits on the west side of County Road 50, within the rural farmland and residential area of Amherstburg, Ontario. There is no indication of future development in the surrounding area, and the vicinity is expected to remain rural for the foreseeable future.
Essex County is the southernmost county in Ontario, Canada. The county is primarily rural, with small built-up urban areas mostly positioned along the waterfront areas of Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair. The county includes the city of Windsor and the towns of Amherstburg, Essex, Kingsville, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Tecumseh, and Leamington.
Big Creek Farms is less than an hour from the Detroit Airport and less than 35 minutes from the Windsor International Airport. The city of Amherstburg is less than 25 minutes from the lodge and offers many good restaurants, shopping, and provisions. The property is very secluded, private, and secure, and although cities and towns are nearby, the land feels like a remote Canadian outpost.
The primary access to the property is via County Road 50 and Holiday Beach Road. Holiday Beach Road is a gated road that meanders to the Big Creek Farms security gate.
The Big Creek Farms lodge was built in 2004, and a quail hunting lodge in Savannah, Georgia, inspired its design. The lodge is the centerpiece of the propertys beautiful central grounds, located on the southeast boundary and totaling 5.5 +/- acres.
The fully-furnished, three-story structure offers 8,000 square feet of rustic luxury with all the modern amenities. Built for comfort and entertaining, the building is spacious and welcoming, providing accommodations for up to 20 guests. Big Creek Farms visitors are guaranteed a relaxing and memorable stay.
The lodge rests between the shoreline of Lake Erie and Big Creek Marsh, providing breathtaking views of the lake to the south and the marsh to the north. The building has extensive wood porches along the east, south, and west sides. The south porch off the main level has a natural stone fireplace, a big-screen television, a hot tub, and plenty of space to relax and entertain guests.
Three guest cabins (500 ft2 each), a storage building (500 ft2), a firewood shed (150 ft2), two boat houses (400 ft2), and a pickleball court are all located a short distance north of the lodge. A pier with an electric boat hoist stretches out from the south lawn into Lake Erie. The south lawn also has an automated clay target thrower hidden by shrubbery for shooting clays over the lake.
The lodges interior is well-appointed, featuring a great room, dining area, two dens, a chef kitchen, two interior fireplaces, eight bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a gun and gear room, a security system, and a generator if power is lost. The first level contains the gun and gear room, a bathroom, a laundry area, and mechanical utilities. The gun and gear room has hickory cabinetry, pine walls and ceilings, and ceramic tile flooring. The bathroom includes ceramic tile flooring, wainscoting, and painted drywall wall and ceiling.
The second level is inviting and warm, with a masculine natural stone fireplace and vaulted ceiling. The area features a great room with a dining area, chef kitchen, den, bathroom, and two bedrooms with an ensuite bathroom. Finishes in the main rooms include hardwood flooring, pine walls and ceilings. The kitchen features hickory cabinetry with granite counters, a built-in propane range, two built-in ovens, two bar fridges, a deluxe built-in dishwasher, and a large built-in fridge. The bathrooms feature ceramic tile floors, wainscoting, and shower stalls.
The third level offers a sitting room, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a sitting room with a natural stone fireplace. The bedrooms and sitting room finishes include hardwood flooring, pine walls, and ceilings. The bathrooms feature ceramic tile floors, wainscoting, and shower stalls. The central section of the third floor is open to the great room area below.
A staging area for property management activities is located on the northeast corner of the land and accessed via County Road 50 through a private security gate. In 2022, the owners built a new four- bay building to function as a maintenance shop and store boats, vehicles, equipment, and supplies. In addition, there are two bins for storing grain to feed waterfowl and other wildlife.
The central grounds are beautiful, featuring manicured lawns, landscaping, and mature trees interspersed. The area is secure, quiet, and private, with plenty of parking and easy access to Lake Erie, the propertys hunting locations on Big Creek Marsh, and the west portion of the land along Lake Erie.
All furnishings and personal property will transfer with the sale. However, NO ARTWORK WILL transfer.
All Seller-owned mineral rights will be conveyed to the Buyer.
Offering Price: $9,900,000.00 USD
Big Creek Farms is offered for sale at the price of $9,900,000.00 USD. For more information, contact Chuck Myers at 901-830-5836 regarding questions or to schedule a property tour.
Myers Cobb Realtors LLC, nor Chuck Myers are licensed brokers in Canada.
This information is for marketing purposes only.
