Bids start at $5.9M for Canada's version of Yellowstone Ranch near Beaverdell

It's touted as the Wild West in the lap of luxury.

It's the 73,670-acre 'Yellowstone North of 49' ranch near Beaverdell that will be sold in an online auction Aug. 14 with bids starting at $5.9 million.

The working cattle ranch being called 'Yellowstone North of 49' for the auction is a deliberate attempt to cash in on the 'Yellowstone effect'.

That effect is the desire for the opulent ranch lifestyle created by the popular TV show 'Yellowstone' set on the largest ranch in the US in Montana starring Kevin Costner as rancher extraordinaire John Dutton.

In the series, Dutton has said: "If someone had all the money in the world, this is what they'd buy."

CLHBid.com, the online auction house marketing 'Yellowstone North of 49', likes to speculate that John Dutton would say the same about the ranch near Beaverdell if he saw it.

CLH is also promoting the online auction with verbiage such as: "Your Wild West fantasy can become a reality on Aug. 14," "Unmatched value along with privilege and exclusivity" and "An idyllic retreat" where you can land your helicopter or drive to in one hour from Kelowna.

The main ranch house is a log-and-stone, 5,100-square-foot, four-bedroom, five-bathroom manor with Wild West decor and swimming pool.

There's also a 2,500-square-foot ranch manager's house that can be a guest house and a 2,100-square-foot log garage with an apartment above it.

There's indoor and outdoor riding arenas, acres upon acres of grazing land, numerous water wells, irrigation system and private lakes.

While the bidding will start at $5.9 million for the buildings and land, the eventual buyer also has the choice of adding on the livestock for $696,000, equipment for $1 million and livestock equipment for $74,000.

The online auction means anyone in the world who qualifies can bid on the ranch.

However, it's likely to be a wealthy Canadian or American who will purchase the ranch as a holiday home with the option to put a manager in place to continue to operate the cattle and farming aspects.

CLH said potential buyers from Canada, Colorado, California and Texas are among those interested.

CLH is a law firm based in Grande Prairie, Alberta that pioneered online agricultural land auction with its own custom-designed web platform seven years ago.

"We quickly found both buyers and sellers like our online escalating tender approach for a lot of reasons, whether it's for something as large as 'Yellowstone North of 49' or something more modest," said CLHBid.com CEO Roy Carter.

"As lawyers experienced in land transactions, we found both buyers and sellers prefer the simplicity of the online process. Everything's upfront and transparent."

'Yellowstone North of 49' is already being previewed at CLHBid.com.

The two-hour bidding period for the ranch begins at 7 am on Monday, Aug. 14 with the starting bid listed at $5.9 million Canadian.

Bidders will see the process on their computer screen in the privacy of their own home or office.

For confidentially, bidders don't see who else is bidding, but they do see the bid amounts being placed in real time.

The successful buyer's name is never disclosed to anyone except the seller during the closing of the deal.