PITTSFIELD, IIl. – The mostly hidden Weber Springs estate and hunting preserve, bordering the Dore hardwood state forest in southeast Minnesota’s Winona County, is for sale. All 1,100 acres could be yours for $11 million. LaCrosse multi-millionaire Don Weber has asked Whitetail Properties of Pitttsfield to find a buyer. Now that he’s 76 and his family mostly grown, Weber says he visits the estate and its lavish log lodge less often. In effect, he said: “It’s time.” The estate is off Winona County Road 5 west of LaCrescent above the Pine Creek golf course. Weber acquired the first parcel for what became the estate in the early 2000s and has added other parcels over the years.
Space for family, staff, horses
The property includes:
> A six-bedroom, 7,400-square foot luxury lodge, built in 2004.
> A three-bedroom, 1,400-square foot house, built in 1926.
> A two-bedroom, 2,300-suuare foot out-building, built in 2009.
> A 2,300-square-foot stable for six horse with living quarters and a covered three-sided patio, built in 2009.
> A five-car garage with tuck-under levels e for vehicles and recreational toys.
> A 900-square-foot cabin.
Original parcel a farm
The property has 300 acres of tillable land for corn, soybeans and alfalfa. Deer and game like the crops. Ponds that have been dug in the forest for wildlife are spring-fed and never freeze over. An eight-foot deep fishing pond has been dug near the main lodge on Pine Creek, complete with a dock for a boat, and stocked with trout and bass.
A place for game
Other details from the sales brochure: “This sprawling estate boasts three pristine springs and over 5,000 feet of Pine Creek, known for its exceptional trout fishing. With its pristine waters and vast pastures, the land is a sanctuary for wildlife and a retreat for outdoor enthusiasts. The landowners have meticulously managed the property for over two decades, enhancing its habitat to grow and hold trophy deer. Record-sized bucks, including a 217-inch giant and multiple 190-inch class deer, are a testament to this land’s potential. The farm offers the perfect trifecta of food, water, and cover designed to nurture a healthy, thriving deer herd.”
Video: Don Weber interview
Main lodge. Up the winding road above a fishing pond on Pine Creek. The sweeping panorama includes a fishing pond. The pond and three tributary streams are stocked with game fish. The entrance is gated.
Weber. He built his fortune from scratch with Logistics Health in LaCrosse. The company coordinates government and corporate insurance plans for employees. He has been a generous philanthropic contributor in LaCrosse.
11,000 contiguous acres. Patched together over 20 years and consolidated into a grand estete known as Weber Springs.
Stable. With stalls for six horses. Living quarters upstairs.
Whitetail profile
Whitetail Properties has 400 agents in 41 states to seek buyers for hunting, ranch and farm land. The company was founded jn 2007 in Pittsfield in downstate Illinois. The Whitetail agent for the Driftless region of Minnesota and Wisconsin is Bob Stalberger of Rochester.
Who will buyer be?
A local buyer is unlikely. Whitetail points out in its advertising that the Weber Springs estate is 15 miles from the LSE airport in LaCrosse, 55 miles from RST, and 130 miles from MSP. Taxes alone run $55,000 a year, which includes a discount because there is tillable acreage on the property