The Crazy Mountains as viewed from afar.
Where the plains roll into the Rocky Mountain Front
Northwest of Absarokee, Montana
Where the plains roll into the Rocky Mountain Front
Northwest of Absarokee, Montana
One of my most bitter sweet memories is of my Dad's failed attempt to purchase the B4 ranch in Melville, Montana in about 1954. We were about four years out from the Pitchfork Dude Ranch and the financial disaster of that adventure. I was about fourteen years of age. Dad was slowly recovering from near bankruptcy by working three jobs at once. in Billings, Montana. He worked as a sales person for Bob's Sporting Goods, a sales person for the Cherrio Liquor Store and in some capacity for the Northern Pacific Railroad. During this time, he had been in constant contact with a guest from the Pitchfork ranch. This guest who owned a tool and die company in the Rockford, Illinois area was going to back Dad in purchasing a ranch once Dad was back on his feet. Dad researched ranches during this time and decided on the B4 ranch ~ a ranch that was located in the upper Sweet Grass valley of the Crazy Mountains.
Dad had learned the principle of diversification through the hard knocks of experience. The Pitchfork Ranch had one source of income, i.e. the dude business (including guiding). The B4 had several; a cattle operation, a dude operation, angora goats, a mink farm, and raising trout for the Montana fish and game department. The ranch was being operated by the four Brannen Brothers and each apparently had some responsibility for raising money for the ranch. While operating all aspects of the ranch Dad was going to concentrate on the cattle and dude aspects. Unfortunately for Dad, his Illinois contact backed out at the last minute and Dad could not come up with the needed capital on his own. The total sales price of the ranch excluding the cattle was $64,000. You could not purchase a home in Big Timber, Montana for that amount now. Dad and I were devastated; not my mother, however, as the location of the ranch was very remote. She viewed herself as a city girl at that point in her life and wanted nothing to do with ranch life. Ironically, Dad's next business venture was the operating manager of the 4K dude ranch coupled with owning a dairy farm ~ a sink-hole of work combination!
As I was driving over to visit with Mike last week I passed through Big Timber and marveled at the Crazy Mountains off to the North of the Yellowstone river. The upper elevatons had had snow and were absolutely stunning. I vowed to return to the Brennan Ranch on this trip home. Mike and I made the trip the following Thursday. Following are some pictures that I took on the visit to the upper sweet grass creek and the Brannen Ranch. I was awestruck and my heart was filled with a longing for "what could have been" had the "deal gone through". This country makes the Grand Tetons of Wyoming look like just "some more mountains" in comparison.
Dad had learned the principle of diversification through the hard knocks of experience. The Pitchfork Ranch had one source of income, i.e. the dude business (including guiding). The B4 had several; a cattle operation, a dude operation, angora goats, a mink farm, and raising trout for the Montana fish and game department. The ranch was being operated by the four Brannen Brothers and each apparently had some responsibility for raising money for the ranch. While operating all aspects of the ranch Dad was going to concentrate on the cattle and dude aspects. Unfortunately for Dad, his Illinois contact backed out at the last minute and Dad could not come up with the needed capital on his own. The total sales price of the ranch excluding the cattle was $64,000. You could not purchase a home in Big Timber, Montana for that amount now. Dad and I were devastated; not my mother, however, as the location of the ranch was very remote. She viewed herself as a city girl at that point in her life and wanted nothing to do with ranch life. Ironically, Dad's next business venture was the operating manager of the 4K dude ranch coupled with owning a dairy farm ~ a sink-hole of work combination!
As I was driving over to visit with Mike last week I passed through Big Timber and marveled at the Crazy Mountains off to the North of the Yellowstone river. The upper elevatons had had snow and were absolutely stunning. I vowed to return to the Brennan Ranch on this trip home. Mike and I made the trip the following Thursday. Following are some pictures that I took on the visit to the upper sweet grass creek and the Brannen Ranch. I was awestruck and my heart was filled with a longing for "what could have been" had the "deal gone through". This country makes the Grand Tetons of Wyoming look like just "some more mountains" in comparison.
So I sit here drinking my morning coffee wondering how would my life have been different if the gentleman from Illinois could have "come through" with the financing for Dad. You can not spend a great deal of time looking back at "what ifs", it's not very productive ~ but none the less................................
Gordon, et. al.
p.s. For very interesting reasons the ranch has not changed very much in the last 55 years. The only thing I could not find was the mink farm. The woods within which the buildings and cages set had been clear cut; the buildings, cages, and timber were all gone! ;-( Oh, yes, the goats weren't there either! Follows is a slide show of more pictures of the ranch.
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