The Summerland Advocate-Messenger - Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community

A storied Nebraska ranch — which grabbed national attention for its quirky name, size and whopping price tag — will live on in the hands of locals who have their own deep Sandhills roots.

Indeed, the two new owners of Dumbbell Ranch, who split the 15,500 acres in a $16.5 million purchase deal, reside on bordering family ranches.

Each has fond and personal memories of the Dumbbell, a founding ranch of the Nebraska Sandhills that’s situated in Cherry and Grant counties.

Two neighbors, rare buy

Former State Sen. Al Davis of Hyannis claimed the larger part of the transaction — rangeland...