There is a hidden treasure in McKinney you may have never heard of.
It's an old western town that's been around for decades. But now it's in danger of being demolished.
Storybook Ranch looks like the set of a classic western film.
The 80-acre piece of property includes a jail, saloon, hotel, apothecary, fire station, opry house, barbershop, dry goods store, post office and a bank with its own claim to fame.
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“It's a vault that was actually robbed by Bonnie and Clyde,” said Kristi Avalos, who showed NBC 5 around the ranch.
Each of the 21 buildings date back to the 1800s, said Avalos, and were handpicked and delivered to the property in the 1950s from all over the country.
Photos: Old Western Town in McKinney in Danger of Being Demolished
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They’ve provided the dramatic backdrop for countless events over the decades.
Lately, time has not been kind.
“Technically, it’s condemned. Nobody's been here for three years,” Avalos said.
Avalos said the non-profit that operated the ranch moved to Dallas and is now selling the land to a developer who plans to build a new housing development on the property.
“They cannot bulldoze this down. We just have to do something,” Avalos said.
In February, Avalos started a non-profit called Bethel Village Foundation to raise money to move the buildings to her ranch in Grayson County.
She said she wants to restore them to use help train people who’ve hit hard times new skills.
“I’m all about taking people and restoring hope in that so why not take buildings and restore the hope in them,” Avalos said.
Avalos said the deadline to raise enough money to relocate the town is in June. Click here for more information about the effort.
