Nestled at the base of the Ruby Mountains sits a freshly remodeled 1436 sq ft Goodman log home. Originally built in 2005, this beautiful 3-bedroom cabin is surrounded by 48± acres of irrigated land. The large deck boasts stunning views of the Ruby, Snowcrest, Gravelly Range, Tobacco Root, and Highland mountains. Within walking distance, the renowned Ruby River meanders through the valley.

Additional improvements include a large 36’x48’ metal-sided shop with a tack room and a custom greenhouse.

The property is located at the southern end of the Ruby Valley off Highway 287, two miles southwest of Alder on a well-maintained gravel road. It is an easy 13-mile drive down the valley to the hospital and grocery store in Sheridan, or 25 miles over the hill to Ennis. The area is full of history including Virginia City, a short eight-mile drive up the road.
The nearest hospital is approximately ten minutes away in Sheridan. The Ruby Valley Medical Center offers five inpatient beds, radiology, laboratory, physical therapy, speech-language, pathology, swing bed, 24-hour emergency care, and highly qualified nursing staff.

Bert Mooney Airport in Butte and Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport offer excellent commercial services and are both within two hours. Recently upgraded, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport at Gallatin Field in Belgrade (BZN) offers several full-service FBOs, including the Yellowstone Jet Center, and excellent commercial services through Alaska, Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, JetBlue, Sun Country, and United Airlines. One of the busiest passenger airports in the Pacific Northwest, and the busiest in the state of Montana, BZN offers direct flights to 25 major airports around the nation including direct flights to the west coast, east coast, Texas, the Southeast, and Florida.

Approximate distances to other cities and attractions are as follows:

65 Clear Creek is set up as a horse property that consistently produces four tons to the acre of grass/alfalfa mix hay. Ample water rights with a shared mainline system along with 33 sprinkler wheel lines make it easy to irrigate the property. The current lease is in good standing with local farmers to purchase the hay. The property is professionally landscaped, complete with an underground sprinkler system. The custom greenhouse makes it easy to start plants for a summertime garden. The horse facilities include a day lot suitable for six horses next to a 36’ by 48’ shop that has a separate tack room.

The elevation is between 5,150 feet above sea level along the eastern edge, and around 5,200 feet along the property’s western boundary. The elevation of Alder, Montana is approximately 5,121 feet.

The average annual precipitation in Alder is approximately 16 inches of rain and 76 inches of snow. Alder, on average, has about 186 sunny days per year. Average maximum temperatures in June, July, and August range from 73° to 83° Fahrenheit. In December, January and February average maximum temperatures are between 33° and 36 ° Fahrenheit. Summer nights average about 44 to 50° Fahrenheit. Winter average minimum is 14° Fahrenheit.

Originally built in 2005, the custom Goodman Log home has many freshly updated features and offers everything you would expect in a Montana home. The newly chinked interior and exterior logs have been recently stained, sanded, and clear-coated to amplify their natural beauty. In addition, the new windows and exterior doors make the transition from indoors to outdoors seamless.

Inside, the kitchen boasts new appliances, cabinets, granite countertops, and a stainless sink with a commercial pull-down spray-head faucet. Each of the three bedrooms has its own recently added closet as well as two closets that were added to the washroom/mudroom. The upgraded flooring, new ceiling sheetrock downstairs, and the newly replaced light fixtures throughout create a comfortable new home feeling.

Outdoor spaces have also been freshened up. New lights on the interior and exterior of the shop to the new horse shelter and horse watering system, life becomes easier. The recently updated underground sprinkler system frees up time for the more important moments in life.

Located just over half a mile from the property is the centerpiece of the valley – the Ruby River. Originating in the Gravely Range, the river flows north and feeds the Ruby River Reservoir before meandering through Alder and ending at the confluence of the Beaverhead River in Twin Bridges. Renowned for its superb fishery, the Ruby is teeming with rainbows and brown trout. Artic grayling can also be found in sections above the Ruby Reservoir. Other nearby fisheries include the Jefferson, Madison, Beaverhead, and Big Hole Rivers.

A testimony to the reputation of this area’s world-renowned trout fishing is the internationally known R.L. Winston Rod Company headquartered in Twin Bridges. Numerous fly-fishing shops and guide services, both hunting and fishing, are in Sheridan, Twin Bridges, Ennis, and Dillon.

The Ruby Reservoir covers 1,000 acres which makes it perfect for water sports on hot summer days. On the eastern shore of the reservoir, a recreational site was created for fishing, boating, and camping. During the winter it becomes a destination for ice fishermen.

Garnet hunting along the shoreline of the Ruby Reservoir can be a fun endeavor. In addition, Alder is home to a rustic-style gem-screening operation that is open to the public. Another nearby spot, just past Nevada City, features an opportunity to pan for garnets and gold and has many mining-related artifacts.

About eight miles from Alder is historic Virginia City. This well-preserved mining town is a great example of the many placer mining camps that flourished during the 1860s throughout the Rocky Mountain West. Virginia City is home to The Brewery Follies, Piper’s Opera House, the Virginia City Creamery for real homemade ice cream, casual dining options, and Montana’s oldest saloon. Many events take place throughout the summer including live music, a vintage car show, and a bike fest. It is a great place to people watch since it attracts tourists from all over the world.

Over the hill in Ennis, the annual Fourth of July Rodeo and Parade is an attraction for a large swath of southern Montana. It draws some of the region’s top cowboys and cowgirls to compete each year.

About twenty miles away lies the town of Twin Bridges. It is the location of the Madison County Fair in mid-August. The fair hosts livestock exhibitions, craft fairs, a parade, a rodeo, and the 4-H livestock auction. It is also the headquarters of R.L. Winston Rod Company, a world-famous fly-fishing rod maker.

The world’s first National Park and one of the most visited, Yellowstone National Park, is within a two-hour drive from the Ruby Valley.
Bozeman is an easy drive, within ninety minutes, to name-brand retail stores, fine dining, and shopping. Montana State University, in Bozeman, is an NCAA Division I AA university. Bozeman is also home to the Museum of the Rockies, “Montana’s premier natural history museum and home of the Taylor Planetarium.”

Winter adventurers have plenty of options with multiple ski resorts in the area.

The Ruby Valley contains some of Montana’s oldest recorded history. Strolling through the Ruby Valley may put you in the same footsteps as Shoshone natives. The Shoshone nation used the Ruby Valley as grounds for hunting and gathering. Shoshone bands, primarily the Bannock, used the river and creeks as passageways, and wintered in the valley. The river was known to the Natives as the Passamari, and later called the Stinking Water by pioneers. The mountains of the Ruby Valley hold several archaeological quarry sites where Native Americans made stone tools extracted from rocks high in silica.

However, the area is best known for the “gold fever” in and around Virginia City in the 1860s. The unpaved streets of Alder were bustling with miners. In 1865, nearby Virginia City was designated as the new territorial capital of Montana and at its peak, was home to 10,000 people. It was said to be the richest gold strike in the Rocky Mountains, with an estimated total value of 100 million dollars throughout the 18th and 19th centuries.

Alder, the site of the second major gold discovery in Montana, takes its name from Alder Creek, named by Henry Edgar in 1863. The nearby Alder Gulch boasts the site of the richest placer gold strike in the Rocky Mountains. Although Idaho Territory at the time, the first three seasons produced an estimated $30 million worth of gold. As the population boomed, the miners and their families led Congress to create five new territories, making Alder Gulch part of the Montana territory in 1864. At its peak, Alder Gulch, known as “Fourteen-mile City”, had a population of 10,000; the latest census of Alder reports 135.

During the gold rush days, the Ruby Mountain Range was named for the gems found by eager prospectors. They incorrectly identified the garnets, but the name remained.
In 1942, the Ruby Reservoir was created to supply irrigation water for agriculture. It gets its water from predominant tributaries which originated from the Snowcrest and the Gravelly Mountains. Being the lifeline to the valley, it services 48,000 acres of farm and ranch land and can withstand large fluctuations in water level.

Electricity is supplied by NorthWestern Energy. There is a new 1000-gallon buried propane tank, which is owned and can be filled by one of several local vendors. The Internet is currently provided by 3 Rivers Communications; they are currently installing fiber optic through the valley.

The Seller will convey with the property 100% of whatever mineral, oil, gas, geo-thermal, hydro-carbon and gravel rights it actually owns, subject to reservations by previous owners.

The Seller makes no representation as to the quantity or quality of any mineral or other subsurface rights appurtenant to the property.

The real estate taxes for 2022 were $1,867.51.

The Sellers hereby make known that there may be variations between the deeded property lines and the location of the existing fence boundary lines on 65 Clear Creek. The Sellers make no warranties regarding the location of the fence lines in relationship to the deeded property lines, nor do the Sellers make any warranties or representations regarding specific acreage within the fenced property lines.

The Sellers are selling 65 Clear Creek in its “as is-where is” condition which includes the location of the fences as they now exist. Boundaries shown on any accompanying maps are approximate. The maps are not to scale and are for visual aid only. The accuracy of the maps and information portrayed thereon is neither guaranteed nor warranted.

According to the Department of Natural Resources and the bylaws of the Max Miller Irrigation Co., the property owns 48 shares of the following water rights. For additional information regarding the water rights, please contact the Swan Land Company Bozeman Office at 406.522.7342.

All water rights in Montana are subject to eventual re-adjudication by the Montana Water Court and, as a result of that process, may be changed as to the validity, amount, priority date, place of use, and other such changes as the Court determines. This water district is currently under the Preliminary-Temporary Decree as classified by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC). The Seller has made all of the filings currently required and will transfer the water rights as they currently stand with no warranty of future viability. All water rights appurtenant to and for the benefit of the property will be conveyed to the buyer at the closing of a sale.

This is a prime opportunity for buyers looking to own a piece of Montana in the beautiful Ruby Valley. The 46+ deeded irrigated acres make for a great horse property in a perfect location to enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities. The freshly remodeled cabin is the perfect setting for a summer home, rental opportunity, or full-time residence, while also being able to raise a sustainable crop.

Offering Price & Conditions of Sale

65 Clear Creek in Alder, MT, as Previously Described Herein, is offered at $1,275,000.00. The Conditions of Sale Are as Follows:

1. All offers to purchase, or letters of intent must be in writing and accompanied by earnest money made payable to the escrow account of Flying S Title & Escrow, Ennis;
2. Earnest money deposits will be placed in escrow with Flying S Title & Escrow Ennis, which will then place the funds with local banks at nominal rates of interest accruing to the benefit of the Buyer until Closing, should the appropriate paperwork be completed;
3. All Prospective Buyers must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Listing Agent the financial capability to purchase the Property prior to scheduling a personal tour of the Property;
4. The Sellers will provide and pay for a standard owner’s title insurance policy. Title to the real property will be conveyed by a limited warranty deed;
5. All of the appurtenant water rights controlled by the Ranch will be transferred to the Buyer at Closing, and all of the mineral rights which the Sellers actually own will be conveyed to the Buyer at Closing;
6. Buyers’ Brokers are welcome and invited to contact Bill Wood with Swan Land Company for additional information and to set up a private Ranch tour.

The Sellers reserve the right to effect a tax-deferred exchange for other real property in accordance with provisions in Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Buyer will not be required to incur any additional expenses nor to step into the chain of title on any property which the Seller may acquire.

TERMS OF INSPECTION

A 48-hour notice is requested to make proper arrangements for an inspection of 65 Clear Creek, Alder, Montana.