WSJ | A 30,000-Acre Cattle Ranch in Montana Asks $58.75 Million

The property, which has been owned by the same family for more than a century, has a commercial cattle operation and three residences

Ivan Doig’s 1978 memoir “This House of Sky” described the author’s childhood on a Montana cattle ranch, where his father worked as a ranch hand.

Now, after being owned by the same family for more than a century, the roughly 30,000-acre cattle ranch in Meagher County is coming on the market for $58.75 million, according to listing agents Mike Swan and Tim Anderson of Swan Land Company. The circa-1896 Yellow House, which served as home to the Doigs, still stands on the property.

Article by Katherine Clarke | THE WALL STREET JOURNAL | JULY 14, 2023

The sellers are Jock Doggett, whose great-grandfather started assembling the ranch in the early 1900s, and his wife, Jamie Doggett. The couple don’t have children, leaving no natural heir to the property, according to Swan.

The Doggett family started assembling the ranch in the early 1900s. PHOTO: DOGGETT FAMILY

Jock Doggett said it was a difficult decision to sell, but noted that ranching is hard work.

“You aren’t going to make it ranching if you are lazy,” he said. “There are many seven-day workweeks, but they are all just good people. You don’t mind digging a ditch together, or chasing cows or sitting in a dingy bar with good people.”

Located between the Little and Big Belt Mountain ranges, the ranch is about 30 minutes’ drive from White Sulphur Springs and about two hours from Bozeman, according to Swan. About 4,300 acres of the ranch is under a conservation easement preventing commercial development.

The property currently hosts a commercial cattle operation with about 1,800 head of cattle, but also includes three residences, according to the listing. The Yellow House is the Doggetts’ primary residence, and they recently remodeled it with large windows, an open floor plan and a new kitchen. It spans about 2,400 square feet with four bedrooms. In his book, Doig described the property as looking like “a giant crate absent-mindedly put down there.”