Locomotive Butte Ranch is named for the prominent geographic formation on the north end of the Ranch with the same name.  Locomotive Butte is located in the little known, but very special, Big Coulee Valley of central Montana.  Located just south of the Musselshell River and the rural community of Ryegate, the setting for this low-overhead livestock and dryland-farm operation must be experienced to fully appreciate how special and unique this part of Montana truly is.  The broad isolated Big Coulee Basin was the winter range to the historic Montana Cattle Company and the famed 79 Brand in the open range era of the late 1800’s Montana.

Locomotive Butte Ranch encompasses 2,104± deeded acres that are a mix of native pasture, productive dryland crop and mixed upland timber acres rimmed by a stunning and very private network of canyons, rims and dramatic bluffs.

The pastures on the Ranch have been leased for the past several years and have been well managed, and coupled with excellent moisture this year, have created grass that is in exceptional condition and ready for livestock without any rest.  The crop acres are all currently leased and the excellent soil profile provides historical yields that are much higher than the typical yields in the area.  The improvements include a modest, but comfortable manufactured home, metal building for equipment and a shop, historic barn, corrals and several smaller out buildings including a chicken coop and tack room.  There is an artesian well on the Ranch that gravity feeds the stock water network with tanks in every pasture.

Locomotive Butte Ranch will check all the boxes for buyers looking for an exceptional and unknown setting that is spectacular and private, while still having access to amenities and services within an hour.  This productive low-overhead livestock and dryland-farm operation runs very efficiently and reliably with minimal overhead beyond the utilities for the improvements and property taxes.

Historically calving has been done out in the pastures when weather permits, or should Mother Nature dictate, moved into corrals closer to the improvements for supplemental feed and shelter.  After calving, livestock is typically moved into the pastures closest to the improvements and then moved to summer pasture on the upper portion of the Ranch until late fall when the cropland is grazed after harvest.  The spring of 2019 has provided excellent moisture and the pastures are all in excellent condition.

Improving fencing and stock water has been a primary focus of the Ranch management for many decades, as reliable stock water in this part of the state is at a premium.  Locomotive Butte Ranch is blessed with an artesian well at the elevated southern end of the Ranch that is connected via pipeline and gravity flows to a well-designed concrete stock tank in every pasture.  This stock-water network provides reliable year-round water to the entire Ranch.  This well-and-tank system is supplemented by a small perennial stream that bisects the Ranch and a couple of additional spring-fed tanks.  This stock-water network allows multiple pastures to be used on a year-round basis and provides operational flexibility with water within about half a mile of every pasture.  There are five cross-fenced pastures on the Ranch, each with reliable stock water, which is a huge benefit in an area that historically has presented stock-water challenges for ranchers.

The dryland crop has been leased to a very progressive and diligent local farmer, who has regularly yielded more bushels per acre than surrounding cropland due to the excellent soil profile and farming expertise  In years with typical moisture, the dryland wheat will average about 60 bushels per acre, and in drought years the soil profile has still produced crops when many other area fields failed.

Both the ranch and farm tenants would be interested in continuing their leases should a new owner be interested.

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The Ranch topography is an enticing combination of wide-open rolling grass meadows and dry cropland on the north and east that transitions into dramatic rims and timber on the southern and western borders of the Ranch that create several impressive and beautiful box canyons.   The Ranch topography creates excellent big-game hunting opportunities for antelope, deer and elk.  This part of Montana is known for very large trophy bull elk, that often exceed 380”.  Bull elk and antelope tags are regulated by a special draw by Montana Fish & Game.  Cow elk and deer tags are general draw and available over the counter.  The Ranch has not been actively hunted for many decades, but has exceptional habitat for antelope, deer and elk, as well as upland game birds like Hungarian partridge,  sharp-tailed grouse and an occasional pheasant.

The Ranch does not include any fisheries, but the Yellowstone and Musselshell Rivers are both within easy-driving distance and offer exceptional fishing opportunities for trout and warm-water species.  Deadman’s Basin reservoir is about 30 minutes away and is home to some huge tiger musky (hybrids of pike and muskellunge) and holds the state record of over 38 pounds.

The nearby Big Lake Complex offers two wildlife refuges–Hailstone and Grass Lake.  It is one of the most productive waterfowl areas in central Montana, perfect for bird-watching and hiking; and hunting is allowed on Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge.  These refuges provide ideal breeding and staging habitat for waterfowl and shorebirds.  These are valuable waterfowl rest stops, whose complex ownership attests to the importance of this Great Plains flyway.  Best viewing times are in the spring and fall.  Also present in the area are sharp-tailed grouse, Hungarian partridge, mule deer, whitetail deer and pronghorn antelope.

Located about 80 miles from the Ranch,  Red Lodge Mountain offers downhill skiing at its best. Boasting no lift lines and small-town attitude, the mountain receives on average 250” of snow during the ski season and has snow-making equipment to supplement.  Standing atop of Grizzly Peak, one can see Cole Creek, the undisturbed Barriers or the far away Crazy Mountains.  With terrain for all ability levels, the ski mountain sits on a base level of 7,433 feet with a summit at 9,416 feet. The lifts can move 10,690 skiers per hour so there is little time spent waiting for a chair.  The resort town is also home to fine dining, art galleries and shopping in the various boutiques and shops.

Just south of Red Lodge is the Beartooth Highway – a 68-mile long National Scenic Byways All-American Road that leads to the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park.  The Highway runs through a million-plus acre Wilderness providing the opportunity to explore one of the highest and most rugged areas in the country.  The Beartooth Highway has the highest elevation of any road in both Wyoming and Montana, as well as in the Northern Rockies.  The Beartooth Highway has famously been described by the late Charles Kuralt on his televisions show ‘On the Road’ as “the most beautiful drive in America”.

Ryegate is one of many homestead-era boomtowns in Montana located along the historic Milwaukee rail route, located roughly half way between Miles City and Butte.  Aptly named for the location of famed fields of Rye, it is the home to one of the original cattle ranches in the state, the ‘Montana Cattle Company’ that ran under the famous 79 brand.  The number 79 still is displayed prominently on the roof of the old school located just north of the Ranch.  John T. Murphy assembled and operated this massive empire that successfully made the transition from an open-range era in the late 1800s to a fenced livestock operation on deeded ground at the turn of the 20th century.

Ryegate made a hard push to become the county seat of Golden Valley County in the drought-stricken early 1920s and utilized a catchy jingle as part of their effort:

The marketing effort was successful and Ryegate remains the county seat to this day.

Rapelje was first established as a town where local railroad workers of the Northern Pacific Railway lived in the late 1800s.  Originally called Lake Basin due to its geographical landscape, the town was renamed as Rapelje in 1913 after J.M. Rapelje, who was the general manager and vice president of the Northern Pacific Railroad.  In 1913 a post office was established and four grain towers, which still stand tall as a major landmark of the town, were put in business.  As more people began to work at the railroad, the town grew bigger to become a thriving community in northern Stillwater County.  This farming and ranching community has developed into a historical town with a number of grain elevators, a K-12 school, a Gothic-styled community church and the infamous Stockman Café, which is the hub of the community.

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