Corps of Discovery Ranch

Easily accessed year-round via River Road on the west side of the Missouri River near MT Highway 287, the ranch spans from 3.6 miles south of Townsend at its north boundary to 3.6 miles northwest of Toston at its southern tip. Townsend, the Broadwater County seat, provides all the everyday essentials — a full-service grocery store, gas stations, a hardware store, pharmacy, banking, a medical clinic, schools, and a handful of local restaurants and cafes — making routine errands and day-to-day living simple without a long drive. Convenient access to private and commercial airports and fixed-base operators (FBOs) keeps the ranch reachable in every season — Townsend is roughly 15 minutes away, Helena about 45 minutes, and Bozeman is an easy 60-minute drive.

Recently upgraded, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport at Gallatin Field (BZN) offers 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 region and the busiest in the state of Montana, BZN offers direct flights to multiple major airports around the nation.

Approximate distances to other cities and attractions from the ranch headquarters are as follows:

Deeded Acreage & Amenities

2,337± Deeded Acres
6± Miles Of Missouri River Frontage
2.5± Miles Of Private Spring Creek

For decades, the ranch has been used for summer cattle grazing. It is currently leased to a neighboring rancher whose cattle, along with a small number owned by the sellers, are rotated through the ranch’s pastures during the summer months.

The ranch carries approximately 225 cow-calf pairs—however, a future owner may opt to vary that number to balance grazing and wildlife habitat.

The current lessee has expressed interest in continuing the arrangement; year-to-year agricultural and grazing leases with neighboring ranchers may remain available to future owners.

With abundant water and secure water rights, five pivots irrigate the ranch’s hay ground, producing an average of 1,400 tons of hay annually. One of the five pivots is owned by a neighbor and partially irrigates a field owned by the seller.

Recognizing the ranch’s agricultural, open-space, and historic significance, the current landowners are placing a conservation easement with The Montana Land Reliance on the property prior to closing. The easement is being drafted to be landowner-, agriculture-, and habitat-improvement-friendly — built to give future owners meaningful flexibility while protecting the ranching legacy of this exceptional property in perpetuity.

Improvements include working corrals, a calving barn, two covered hay-storage sheds, a ranch manager’s home, and an additional modest residence.

The sellers are also offering a first right of refusal on their home, shop, and equipment storage facilities, which currently serve as the ranch headquarters and encompass approximately 20 acres.

The ranch includes an 1,800-foot unimproved grass airstrip, historically used by previous owners and capable of landing a Super Cub. With leveling and additional maintenance, its capabilities could be expanded further.

With over 2,400 acres of riparian habitat and elevated sagebrush ground, the ranch supports diverse ecosystems that provide excellent habitat for abundant elk, whitetail deer, waterfowl, and pheasants. Located within the renowned trophy elk hunting unit 380, the ranch attracts elk seeking safety on its private islands and exceptional nighttime forage beneath five center pivots irrigating hay and other crops. The 2.5-mile spring creek is one of the few places with live water in Broadwater County that doesn’t completely freeze, creating a world-class waterfowl opportunity. Together, the ranch’s abundant water, food source, and habitat, combined with the Missouri River’s role as a main artery of the Central Flyway for ducks and geese, provide season-long waterfowl hunting opportunities.

While this stretch of the Missouri River is not as well known for abundant wild trout populations as other reaches, it does support wild brown and rainbow trout. Seasonally, those populations can increase as large fish from Canyon Ferry Reservoir move upstream to spawn in moving water. The river also supports populations of walleye and northern pike, providing a diverse angling experience. With modern restoration strategies and technologies, the ranch’s 2.5-mile spring creek may offer trout opportunities that are increasingly difficult to find in today’s market.

Corps of Discovery Ranch is defined by its water. After searching across Montana and beyond, the sellers found what they were looking for in 1998 on River Road in Toston: a property where water resources set the ceiling on everything else that was possible. From their first look, they knew they’d be hard-pressed to find another property with water resources to match it. In an increasingly dry region, Corps of Discovery Ranch remains largely insulated from those trends, serving as an oasis for agriculture, fish, and wildlife.

The ranch’s history runs deep. Evidence suggests that on July 24, 1805, the Corps of Discovery camped on this very ground, part of their search for a passage to the Pacific. Long before Lewis and Clark arrived, the river and its tributaries served as vital hunting grounds and trading routes for the Blackfeet, Crow, Salish, and Shoshone.

The elevation of the ranch is relatively flat at about 3,840 feet above sea level on the northern portion, rising to 3,960 feet at the south end.

The average annual precipitation is approximately 21 inches, with the majority falling in May and June. The last frost of the year is typically early to mid-June and the first frost tends to be in mid-September.

Average high temperature July through August is 83° Fahrenheit. Summer average minimum temperature tends to be around 50°. In December, January, and February, average high temperature is between 33° and 37°. Winter average minimum temperature is typically between 12° and 15°. There is plenty of sunshine with an average of 188 sunny days throughout the year.

UTILITIES & SERVICES

Electricity is provided by Vigilante Co-op.
Cell service is available from all major cell providers. An AT&T fiber-optic line runs along River Road.
Propane is supplied by Rocky Mountain Supply in Townsend.

MINERAL RIGHTS

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 ranch.

REAL ESTATE TAXES

The real estate taxes for 2025 were $8,469.73.

RIVER & FENCE BOUNDARY LINES

River boundaries have and will change per laws of the State of Montana and based on accretion and avulsion since the Original Government Survey. In some instances, river boundaries do not match Cadastral boundaries and will continue to change with river migration. Maps and visual representations are a guide and may not align perfectly with legal boundaries.

There may be variations between the deeded property lines and the location of the existing fence boundary lines on Corps of Discovery Ranch. The sellers make no warranties with regard to the location of the fence lines in relationship to the deeded property lines, nor do the sellers make any warranties or representations with regard to specific acreage within the fenced property lines.

According to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Water Rights Division, Corps of Discovery Ranch owns fourteen water rights including one domestic right, seven irrigation rights with over 50CFS of decreed water, and six stock rights with priority dates as early as 1890.  The ranch also owns two contracts for a total of 1294 Acre Feet of water delivered through the Broadwater-Missouri Water Users canal system.

All water rights in Montana are subject to adjudication by the Montana Water Court and because of that process, may be changed as to 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 will transfer the water rights as they currently stand with no warranty of future viability.

Few properties command over six miles of Missouri River frontage and 2.5 miles of private spring creek—every foot of it on the ranch. This stretch of the “Mo” is prized for its fishery, with walleye, trout, pike, and trophy carp rounding out the offerings, while the spring creek’s ice-free winters draw exceptional waterfowl.

The wildlife matches the water. Trophy bull elk roam the ranch and its private river islands in Unit 380, alongside whitetail, some mule deer, pheasants, huns, and turkeys. With targeted food plots and habitat work — backed by substantial existing water rights — this ground could become a true big game, upland, and waterfowl mecca.

The land works, too: five pivots average 1,400 tons of hay annually, with year-to-year ag and grazing leases available to carry forward. One of the five pivots is owned by a neighbor and partially irrigates a field owned by the seller. Historic cattle use includes up to 225 pairs grazed, leaving room to balance livestock and wildlife management.

A landowner-friendly conservation easement with MLR will be placed prior to closing, and a First Right of Refusal applies to the 20-acre parcel containing the seller’s house and shop.

On top of all that, there’s a rare piece of history here: evidence suggests Meriwether Lewis and his crew likely camped on this exact ground on July 24, 1805, while Clark explored a loop through the higher land nearby.

Corps of Discovery Ranch, as Previously Described Herein, is offered at $18,975,000.00. The Conditions of Sale Are as Follows:

1. All offers to purchase or letters of intent must be in writing.
2. All Prospective Buyers must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Seller’s absolute financial capability to purchase the property prior to scheduling an inspection of the property.
3. Earnest money deposit will be due upon completion of a fully executed contract, and all earnest money deposits will be held in escrow by Rocky Mountain Title Guarantee in Helena, MT.
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 warranty deed.
5. All the appurtenant water rights controlled by the property will be transferred to the Buyer at Closing.
6. The Sellers will convey to the Buyer all mineral rights they own, subject to reservations by previous owners.
7. Buyers’ Brokers are welcome and invited to contact Kendall Van Dyk or Bill Wood with Swan Land Company for additional information and to set up a private tour of the property.
8. Any additional documentation provided to Prospective Buyers and their Agents related to and expanding upon the information contained in this offering brochure may be subject to terms of a Confidentiality Agreement to be signed by the Prospective Buyer and their Agents prior to the delivery of such documentation.

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.

This entire Offering is subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, change, or withdrawal without notice and approval of purchase by the Sellers. Information regarding land classifications, acreages, carrying capacities, crop yields, potential profits, hunting districts and regulations, etc., is intended only as general guidelines and has been obtained from sources deemed reliable; however, accuracy is not warranted or guaranteed by the Sellers or Swan Land Company. Prospective Buyers should verify all information to their sole and complete satisfaction.

TERMS OF INSPECTION
A 24-hour notice is requested to make proper arrangements for an inspection of Corps of Discovery Ranch.

Swan Land Company has been authorized by the Seller to act as the Seller’s Exclusive Real Estate Broker for the sale of Corps of Discovery Ranch. Since 2002, we have focused on the brokerage of significant ranches, farms, and recreational properties throughout the Rocky Mountain West.

This Offering is based on information believed to be correct; however, it is subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, and change or withdrawal without notice. Information contained herein has been provided by the Sellers or obtained from other sources deemed reliable. The Agent does not, however, guarantee accuracy and recommends that any Prospective Buyer conduct an independent investigation.