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Swan Land Properties
Beautiful Montana Equestrian Facility for Sale
Madison County

22 RANCH

Sold
  • McAllister, Montana

  • 1,362 Deeded

  • $5,900,000

22 Ranch is a singular opportunity to acquire a modern equestrian facility with pivot irrigated production ground in Montana’s dramatic and picturesque Madison Valley with expansive uninterrupted views of Ennis Lake and the Madison and Tobacco Root Mountain Ranges.  Located just west of McAllister, Montana and US Highway 287, the 1,362± unencumbered deeded acres that border public lands contain 196± pivot irrigated acres.  The Ranch consists primarily of native mountain pasture with some improved pasture and significant hay ground.  The equestrian facilities and two modest homes capture the spectacular views of the surrounding area.  Constructed in 2018, the state-of-the-art 125′ x 260′ heated indoor riding arena and immaculate eight-stall barn provide an ideal set up for professional or amateur equestrian activities.  The tranquility and dramatic views from the Ranch represent an opportunity to own a recreational, agricultural or equestrian property in a very desirable Montana locale. In addition to the agricultural component, big-game hunting is excellent for elk, deer and antelope that reside both on the Ranch and on the adjoining public lands.

The Ranch adjoins lands under conservation easement on several boundary lines.  Additionally to the west, the Ranch borders thousands of acres of both Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service land, providing virtually unlimited horseback riding and hunting opportunities.

For the buyer seeking a modern equestrian facility with quality irrigated grass production, 22 Ranch is priced far below new construction prices with an unmatched setting in one of the most robust real estate markets in Montana.

The Ranch, located on Hughes Road, is about 2.1 miles west of the small community of McAllister, and about 8.5 miles northwest of Ennis.  McAllister is home to the McAllister Inn.  Adorned with a neon sign outside and western flair inside, this steakhouse, bar, and lodging is the perfect stop for lunch or dinner after a day on the river or horseback riding. Ennis is a classic small Montana city that still has agricultural roots, but at the same time is a hotspot for tourist traffic fishing the Madison River and visiting Yellowstone National Park.  Ennis has ample services including restaurants, bars, shopping, groceries, and banking.  The recently updated Madison Valley Medical Center is a proud addition to the valley.  The local area consists primarily of large agricultural and ranching operations interspersed with recreational landowners.

Families can expect their children to receive a high-quality kindergarten through high-school education in the Ennis Public Schools.  Students from the surrounding community experience the unique educational environment of small-sized classrooms.  The high school is classified as a Class C school (under 160 students) by the Montana High School Association and provides a great learning environment and competitive interscholastic-athletic programs competing as the ‘Mustangs’.  School bus service provides round-trip transportation for elementary and high-school students in the area.  The Ennis community has traditionally been very supportive of the school system and has regularly approved school bonds for capital improvements and upgrades.

Madison Valley-Ennis Fixed-Base Operator, KEKS, is located about 20 miles from the Ranch and offers a 6,601’ x 75’ paved runway with jet fuel and limited maintenance services.  Also equipped with a PAPI system, the night lighting can be activated on radio frequency 122.9. Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) at Gallatin Field in Belgrade is about an hour’s drive from the Ranch. Recently upgraded, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport offers several full-service FBOs and excellent commercial services. One of the busiest passenger airports in the Pacific Northwest, and the busiest in the state of Montana, BZN offers direct flights to approximately 21 cities around the nation.

Bozeman is a vibrant and active university-oriented city steeped in culture and art. Bozeman is proud to maintain its small-town feeling with big-city amenities.  It is home to Montana State University, the Museum of the Rockies, the Bozeman Symphony, and the Montana Ballet.  The fourth-largest city in the state, Bozeman offers abundant opportunities for fine dining, lodging, entertainment venues, and shopping. The scenic drive to the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park in West Yellowstone is about an hour and a half away.


Approximate distances to other towns and cities are as follows:
McAllister, Montana
Ennis, Montana
Three Forks, Montana
Bozeman, Montana
Big Sky, Montana
West Yellowstone, Montana
2 miles
8 miles
42 miles
47 miles
75 miles
78 miles

 

From the timbered hillsides along the base of the Tobacco Mountain Range across the pivot-irrigated plateaus, and willow-laden creek bottom, to the sub-irrigated bottomland, 22 Ranch provides diversity, production, and scenic beauty.  The acreage classifications for the Ranch are generally described as follows:

1,362± Deeded Acres
1,116±
196±
30±
20±
Acres of Native Pasture
Acres of Pivot Irrigated Land
Acres under Nelson Big Gun System
Acres Under Improvements

Under current ownership, the Ranch has been operated as a summer grazing unit, grazing about 200 head of cow-calf pairs from approximately mid-June to late September.  The pastures are well watered with either stock water tanks or live water serving all of the irrigated and native range pastures.  Fletcher Creek runs through the southwest corner of the Ranch for about half a mile providing reliable live water for livestock and wildlife alike, and several springs are located on the property.

Productive pivot-irrigated pastures are utilized for grazing cattle and provide a consistent resource even during drought years.  The three Valley 8000 series center-pivot systems, which are gravity fed, were newly installed in 2016.
Irrigation water coming out of South Meadow Creek is diverted from a concrete diversion structure that was professionally engineered and installed in 2016.  At the diversion, water is piped into a 20-inch plastic pipe, across the neighboring property to a manifold on the west side of the Ranch.  At the manifold, the water is split into two ten-inch lines that eventually taper down to eight-inch lines that provide water to the three center pivots systems.

Two Nelson big gun irrigation systems also irrigate approximately 30 acres of native pasture grass just west of the log house and utilize a buried eight-inch mainline that comes off of one of the above-stated mainlines.

Arena

Rarely do high-amenity equestrian facilities of this caliber come on the market.  Immaculately constructed and maintained, this state-of-the-art facility affords easy access and ample parking for large groups and the rigs that accompany this clientele. The arena floor is composed of 12″ of compacted sand that sits on a river-rock base.  The sand holds moisture well with virtually no dust during riding sessions and is worked with the arena drag to a depth suitable to the event being held at the facility (i.e. barrel racing, English riding, dressage, etc…).  The viewing room is situated near the center of the arena and can be heated during the winter months. The interior measurements of this Morton-constructed riding arena are 125′ x 260′.  An all-pipe fence with an angled wooden kick wall was installed around the inside of the exterior wall.  Three 16′ x 14′ and four 12′ x 14′ electric roll-up doors provide easy ingress and egress for the arena. Interior walls are insulated to an R-30 rating and the ceiling was insulated to an R-40 rating.  The six copulas on the roof of the barn also serve as individual louvered exhaust events that are manually controlled.  Also, massive Macro air fans provide ample circulation throughout the arena. The arena can be heated during the winter months with overhead propane radiant heat tubes.  With extensive LED lights, the arena is extremely well-lit. The entire facility is served with 400-amp electrical service and two 1,000-gallon buried propane tanks.  The water for the arena and barn is provided by an individual well and septic system. Three frost-free hydrants are positioned throughout the arena for convenient access. A functional set of corrals are situated on the southern side of the arena with easy access via a separate roll-up door which provides an entrance into the arena for cattle when needed for specific events.

Barn

Attached to the north side of the arena is the 40′ x 100′ barn.  Access is made effortless by a 16′ x 12′ electric roll-up door that separates the barn from the arena.  Eight 12′ x 12′ horse stalls complete with pull-down stall fronts, are all served by Nelson automatic waterers.  The barn has been thoughtfully planned out with none of the details spared.  The spacious 15′ center aisle makes it easy to move horses and people safely through the barn to either the arena or outdoors.

The four stalls located on the east side of the barn have functioning windows that can be opened up to allow fresh air but are also covered with bars for horse safety.  The four stalls on the west side have Dutch doors with the ability to add individual runs to the west for each of the stalls.  The foundation of the floor in each stall is layered, starting with river rock, then road mix, and finished with a sand top.  One-inch rubber mats positioned on top of stability grids over the sand provide a good cushion for the horses as well as excellent drainage.

The tack room, which is fully enclosed, can be secured separately.  The 12′ x 22′ room stores saddles, bridles, blankets, and all the necessary equipment.  Outside the tack room, there is sufficient space to tack up two horses.  A separate feed room, which is approximately 11′ x 11′, is used to store and mix grains and supplements for the horses.
A three-sided wash rack has both hot- and cold water bibs.  The walls are sheeted with metal along with the concrete floor making it easy for cleaning and sanitizing.  Overhead propane-radiant heat keeps the wash-rack area warm and dry.

The Barn Office, which houses a microwave and refrigerator, serves as the break room for the barn crew.  Also, in the office are the monitors for the Ranch Eyes security camera system which allows for on-site and remote monitoring of the entire arena, barn, and exterior corrals.  The office is heated by an electric baseboard which is thermostatically controlled.  The bathroom for the barn is heated by a Rinnai heater and also has an on-demand Navien instant hot-water heater.  There is a large utility sink which is big enough to manage a twenty-gallon bucket.  There are also lockable metal storage cabinets to house temperature-sensitive medications.

Venting in the barn is through two large exhaust fans situated in the cupolas, though typically on nice days the doors are opened up allowing for the fresh mountain air to circulate.  The ceiling of the barn has been spray-foam insulated and the walls insulated with Styrofoam sheeting.


Hay Barn

This 36′ x 60′ Morton facility has three bays.  The center bay has a raised ceiling and is primarily utilized for hay storage.  The two bays to each side of the main bay are used for equipment and ATV storage.  The hay barn also has a smaller enclosed heated room where the well pump and pressure tank are located that serves the entire facility and corrals.


Horse Paddocks

Just west of the barn and arena are six horse paddocks that are served by Ritchie waterers with 12′ x 24′ covered loafing sheds in each of the individual runs.  The paddocks have a sand base and are fenced with continuous steel-pipe fencing.  Electricity is also located at each of the loafing sheds with exterior lights in each of the paddocks as well.


Fencing

The entire perimeter fence and interior fencing have been rebuilt with a wildlife-friendly fence constructed of wood posts and five wires with the top and bottom wires being smooth.


Log House

Tucked into a grove of mature pine, willow, and cottonwood trees, this 1960s log house served as the main home for the previous owner.  Heated with gas forced-air propane, this two-bedroom one-bathroom home is built with log construction.  The kitchen and bathroom were recently remodeled with a new dishwasher, refrigerator, and a new bathtub and sink in 2019.  The house is very functional and has served well as a guest house for visitors.  The two-car garage has a concrete floor and works well for mid-sized vehicles.  The house is served by an independent well and septic system.


Manufactured House

This American Home Builders home sits on a concrete foundation and was constructed in 2019.  Propane-gas forced air heats the home which also has its own well and septic system.  The 1,500-square-foot home contains three bedrooms and two bathrooms with an open kitchen and living room area and a private deck off of the west side of the home.

 

The outdoor amenities of Southwest Montana are abundant and fulfill the prerequisites of any outdoor recreation enthusiast.  Fishing, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and exploring during the summer months are second to none.  During the winter months, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing are boundless.

Yellowstone National Park and all of its wildlife and geothermal wonders are an hour south.  The Madison Ranger District, part of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, is about a mile and a half from the property.  The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, which covers 3.35 million acres and lies in eight counties, is the largest national forest in Montana.

Located about three miles east of the property, near the small town of McAllister, lies Ennis Lake.  Ennis Lake is created by a hydroelectric dam on the Madison River and offers motorized boating, water skiing, seasonal waterfowl hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing for snow geese and swans on their spring migration from the Gulf States.

Ennis offers public golfing at the Madison Meadows Golf Course with a beautiful backdrop of several mountain ranges including the Madison, Gravelly, and Tobacco Root Mountain Ranges.  Each year on the 4th of July weekend, the Ennis rodeo takes place.  For over 75 years, the community has hosted the oldest and one of the largest rodeos in Montana, which draws the top rodeo cowboys and cowgirls from around the nation.  This annual event features a classic parade down the main street of Ennis and exciting rodeo action for the whole family.

The resort communities of Big Sky, Moonlight Basin, and Yellowstone Club are located to the southeast of the property via the Big Sky Roadway and Jack Creek Road. This year-round destination resort community offers both summer and winter recreation, shopping, restaurants, and numerous other services.  Several golf courses including the Moonlight Club – a Jack Nicklaus signature mountain course, offer the most scenic settings imaginable.  Majestic Lone Mountain provides over 5,800 acres of skiable terrain suitable for skiers of all abilities and ages, as well as mountain biking, zip lines, and scenic gondola rides offering 300-mile vistas from its peak at 11,166 feet. The public 18-hole, par-72 Arnold Palmer-designed course in the Big Sky Meadow Village is also a favorite for golf enthusiasts. With a permanent population of over 3,000 locals, the Big Sky and Ennis areas draw over 1,000,000 visitors annually to its growing resort amenities and tourist offerings including abundant recreation, lodging, and conference facilities.

Virginia City offers a worthwhile day trip and a true trip back in time complete with historic boardwalks, an old-fashioned candy store, and seasonal live performances at the ‘Brewery Follies’ and the ‘Virginia City Players’.  Another notable day trip from the Ranch is to the Lewis and Clark Caverns which features one of the largest-known limestone-cavern systems in the Northwest.

The Ranch provides excellent big-game hunting within its boundaries.  The diverse ecosystem of the Ranch supplies prime habitat for mule deer, antelope, and elk.  Historically, good-sized herds of elk will seek the cover of the scattered timber along the western edge of the Ranch and along the willows of Fletcher Creek traveling back and forth between the adjoining BLM and Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest to the irrigated pastures of 22 Ranch.  With thousands of acres of public lands adjoining the Ranch to the west the recreational opportunities are endless.

Devoted anglers will appreciate that the famed Madison River is less than a ten-minute drive from the Property, there is easy access to a lifetime of fishing in Yellowstone National Park and the highly-regarded Beaverhead, Ruby, Big Hole and Jefferson Rivers are about an hour’s drive.  Still-water fishermen will appreciate the proximity to South Meadow Creek Lake as well as Ennis, Quake, and Hebgen Lakes, which are some of the finest spring and summer dry-fly fisheries in the state.  The nearby Tobacco Root Range, Lee Metcalf Wilderness, and the Spanish Peaks Range are home to a multitude of secluded trout-filled mountain lakes that are available by hiking and horseback. For many decades, boaters and fishermen have challenged the white-water and wilderness fishing adventures in the Bear Trap section on the Madison River below Ennis Lake.  For those that have not experienced this scenic and adrenaline-filled adventure, it is a ‘bucket list’ trip that every angler or outdoor enthusiast needs to experience.  Spend a day throwing streamers, nymphs, and dry flies to the large brown and rainbow trout in the Bear Trap, while navigating sections of class IV whitewater through a beautiful stretch of wilderness.  It will quickly become an indelible memory and a regular calendar event.

An indication of this area’s world-renowned trout fishing reputation is the headquarters of the internationally-known Simms Fishing Company in Bozeman and Winston Fly Rods in Twin Bridges.

The Madison Valley is well known to big-game hunters – a tribute to its healthy populations of trophy elk and deer. The area is home to some of the finest mountain-elk habitats in Montana and the hunting during archery and the general rifle season is exceptional.  It is not uncommon to see bulls over 350” although much larger bulls are seen and harvested annually. There are excellent hunting opportunities for mule deer, whitetail deer, and black bears.  Bighorn sheep and mountain goat hunting are available for those with good boots, physical stamina, and special tags.

The Ranch is located in Montana FWP Hunting District 320, which is available for resident and non-resident hunters with a general tag.  Specific information regarding hunting regulations, resident and non-resident license applications, and permits is available through the Montana Fish and Game web page at http://fwp.mt.gov/.

Electricity is provided by North Western Energy.  Internet and telephone service are provided via Three Rivers Communication. Buried fiber optic runs to the barn and manufactured house providing reliable high-speed internet. Madison River Propane is the propane service provider for the Ranch.
 

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 22 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 the specific acreage within the fenced property lines.

The Sellers are selling 22 Ranch 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 not guaranteed nor warranted.

The 2019 real estate taxes for 22 Ranch were $4,767.

 

The Sellers will convey with 22 Ranch 100% of whatever mineral, oil, gas, geo-thermal, hydro-carbon, and gravel rights they actually own, subject to reservations by previous owners.  The Sellers make no representation as to the quantity or quality of any mineral or other sub-surface rights appurtenant to the Property.

According to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Water Rights Division, the Property owns 9 Irrigation rights, 7 Stock rights, and 2 domestic well rights.  Please view the offering brochure for a list of water rights or contact listing brokers Mike Swan or Tim Anderson in the Bozeman office for additional information.

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.

The Ranch sits between 5,030 feet above sea level on the southeastern boundary and at about 6,000 feet above sea level on the southwest corner of the property.  The headquarters are around 5,070 feet.

July and August are quite comfortable with average highs of 84 degrees Fahrenheit and evening lows of around 55 degrees.  Indian summer can linger until mid-October.  December and January bring highs of approximately 37 degrees with lows around 22 degrees. The average annual rainfall is 17.9 inches with April, May, and June being the wettest months and typical annual snowfall of about 55 inches.

Many notable locations in the West were founded during the exploration and gold rush era of the late 1800s.  Virginia City was the territorial capital of Montana in the 1860s and boasted a population of over 10,000 people after news of the gold strike in Alder Gulch spread through the nation.  The town of Ennis was founded on the banks of the Madison River in 1863 by William Ennis, who was drawn to the area by the opportunities surrounding the Virginia City mines.  Yellowstone National Park was founded in 1872 and the Madison Valley began to develop support and transportation networks to support this new wave of business and tourism.

The area once known as Meadow Creek, located between Norris and Ennis, was settled in the 1860s.  A post office and the first school building were both built in the 1870s, and the Methodist Church was completed in 1887.  In 1871, the McAllister family relocated from Idaho to the Meadow Creek area in Madison County.  The family located a ranch, and the son James Alexander (Alex) McAllister established his home in 1889 on land that he purchased from the Northern Pacific Railroad.  Alex McAllister, whom the town was eventually re-named after, was skilled in many arenas – stock man, rancher, mercantile dealer, and race-horse owner.

Located just east of McAllister, is the Madison Dam, a hydroelectric dam on the Madison River located just above Bear Trap Canyon creating Ennis Lake.  Originally built in 1901 and re-constructed in 1906, the timber-crib dam, 39 feet high and 257 feet long, is one of eight PPL Montana hydro projects.   The dam has changed ownership many times since it was built, including Montana Power Company, which acquired it in 1912, PPL Corporation purchased it in 1997 and NorthWestern Corporation bought it in 2014.

Pride of ownership, quality of construction, thoughtful design, and agricultural production all packaged in a magnificent setting are terms that come to mind following a visit to 22 Ranch.  High-end ranch properties with this size and scale are rare in today’s Madison Valley real-estate market – especially one that is void of the restrictions of a conservation easement.  In many similar offerings, considerable money has been spent on ill-designed and oft-times gargantuan homes which the buyer must uncomfortably assume and pay for – the Ranch is free from this burden.

Upon visiting the Ranch, a prospective buyer will quickly conclude that the replacement cost to replicate a facility and setting becoming of 22 Ranch would far exceed the listing price.

Finally, this attractive holding has bona fide potential for an equestrian development with multiple parcels and building sites, or placement of a conservation easement and enjoying the personal satisfaction of environmental preservation plus the tax advantages attendant with such a decision.  Every one of the viable conservation organizations will be enthused and very helpful in helping to structure a proper easement on 22 Ranch.

OFFERING PRICE and CONDITIONS OF SALE

22 Ranch, as previously described herein, is offered at US $5,900,000.00 Cash or Terms acceptable solely at the discretion of the Seller.  The conditions of the sale are as follows:

  1. All Prospective Buyers must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Seller absolute financial capability to purchase the Property prior to scheduling an inspection of the Ranch;
  2. Earnest money deposits will be placed in escrow with First American Title Company, which may place the funds with local banks at nominal rates of interest accruing to the benefit of the Buyer until Closing;
  3. The Seller will provide and pay for a standard owner’s title insurance policy.  Any endorsements requested by the Buyer or any lender will be at Buyer’s expense.  Title to the real property will be conveyed by a deed;
  4. All of the water right claims controlled by the Seller will be transferred to the Buyer at Closing, and all of the mineral rights which the Seller actually owns will be conveyed to the Buyer at Closing;
  5. Buyers’ Brokers are welcome and invited to contact Listing Brokers Mike Swan or Tim Anderson in our Bozeman Office for information regarding Cooperation Policies.

 

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, etc., are intended only as general guidelines and have 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 48-hour notice is requested to make proper arrangements for an inspection of 22 Ranch.

Swan Land Company has been authorized by the Seller to act as their Exclusive Real Estate Broker on the sale of 22 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.

22 Ranch
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Michael S. Swan
It was growing up in Southwest Montana where that deep sense of love for the land was first instilled in me. Our family ranch was on the banks of the Jefferson River near Twin Bridges. Being raised on a sizable commercial cow-calf operation, my brothers and I learned the importance of being good stewards of ...
Meet the Broker
Owner/Broker of Swan Land, Mike Swan
Timothy Anderson
With over two decades of experience in real estate and a background in science and technology, I’ve been honored to serve and represent some of Montana’s finest farm, ranch, and recreational properties. Before my time with Swan, I co-founded Montana Real Estate Co. with my wife, where we guided the successful sales effort for Moonlight ...
Meet the Broker
Swan Land Broker, Tim Anderson

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