Tremendous Grass and Water Resources
Judith Basin & Chouteau Counties
STRAND RANCH
Nestled at the base of the Highwood Mountains of north central Montana, the historic Strand Ranch is comprised of 30,974± total acres, of which 28,894± are deeded, 1,760± acres are State of Montana lease, and 320± acres are BLM lease. Situated between the small towns of Geraldine and Geyser, the ranch has good access to Geyser via Geyser Road on a year-round basis. Solid senior water rights totaling about 33.24 cubic feet per second (CFS) provide water flow to the approximately 1,050 acres of irrigated meadows and sub-irrigated bottomland. Historically, the ranch has irrigated about 600 acres of meadows along Cottonwood Creek for native grass-hay production yielding between 1.75 to 2.0 tons of grass hay per acre on one cutting. With the efficient utilization of the grass resource and the abundant water sources, the ranch comfortably carries 1,100 head of mother cows.
Round Butte, a notable landmark in the region, is completely within the confines of the deeded acreage and provides an idyllic ecosystem for about 30 head of native mountain goats. The iconic Square Butte adjoins the ranch on the northeast border. The timbered foothills of the Highwood Mountains harbor good populations of elk, deer, and upland game birds including sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge. Cottonwood Creek runs through the length of the Ranch providing a cottonwood-lined riparian corridor creating additional habitat for wildlife and upland birds. Six creeks, dozens of springs, ponds, and developed water provide an abundant water resource for livestock and wildlife. Water developments have been strategically located throughout the ranch providing numerous freshwater sources in each pasture.
The improvements consist of several sets of functional working corrals, calving barns, a horse barn, several equipment storage sheds, a good working shop, and four modest but well-maintained homes. The absence of poorly designed, outlandish residential structures provides an equally rare opportunity to execute exactly what feels best to the next owner.
A portion of the ranch is under a conservation easement with the Montana Land Reliance and is described in greater detail later in this prospectus.
Offered for sale for the first time since 1944, the historic Strand Ranch is a step back in time and provides privacy and solace in one of the best ranching and recreational areas the West has to offer. The ranch is being offered for sale to settle the estate of the late Leroy Strand. It is the desire of the Trustees of the Estate to transition the ranch to a buyer who will appreciate and enjoy the ranch and the surrounding community as much as Mr. Strand had for all his years of ownership.
Lying along the eastern slope of the Highwood Mountains, Strand Ranch is located in central Montana, approximately 16 miles south of the small town of Geraldine and northeast of the small community of Geyser. The Ranch is about 60 miles east of Great Falls and about 50 miles to the west of Lewistown. The Ranch headquarters are accessible via Geyser-Geraldine Road and Geyser Road, an all-weather gravel county road that is maintained year-round. Both Geyser, with a population of around 87, and Geraldine, with a population of about 260, offer a couple of grocery stores and gas stations, a bar and grill, and limited farm supplies and services.
FORT BENTON
Established in 1846 as an American Fur Company Trading Post, Fort Benton, steeped in history, is one of the oldest communities in the American West. Situated on the west bank of the Missouri River with a population of just under 1,500, Fort Benton was named by Forbes as one of America’s Top 15 Prettiest Towns. Fort Benton offers all of the necessary amenities of a small town – agricultural supplies, hardware, restaurants, and healthcare facilities, to name a few. In addition, Fort Benton has a multitude of recreational amenities.
LEWISTOWN
GREAT FALLS
The Ranch is about 62 miles from Great Falls, the third-largest city in Montana. Known as the “Electric City” for its hydroelectric dams, Great Falls is the commercial and banking hub of north central Montana. With a population of approximately 60,000, Great Falls offers a complete and diverse array of retail, dining, and supply and equipment services. Great Falls Clinic Medical Center and Benefits Health System both provide quality health care and surgical services. It is also home of the University of Providence, formerly the University of Great Falls, a private, Roman Catholic liberal arts university.
AIRPORTS
The Lewistown Municipal Airport (LWT) is located two miles southwest of Lewistown and is served by Newton Aviation, Central Air Service and Gulf Stream International Airline. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during WWII, the airfield was utilized to train U.S. Army Air Force airmen in the Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress” before being assigned to air combat missions in Europe and North Africa. The main 6,100’ x 100’ asphalt runway, which is lighted, is in good condition. There are two additional asphalt runways, one of 5,600’ x 100’, which is in poor condition, and one of 4,102’ x 60’, which is in good condition. The airport sits at an elevation of 4,170’ above sea level and can be contacted on CTAF frequency 123.0 and WX ASOS 118.375 or by telephone at (406) 538-2653.
Stanford also has a very nice smaller paved strip available to the public. The main 4,200’ x 75’ asphalt runway, which is lighted, is in good condition. The airport sits at an elevation of 4,327’ above sea level and can be contacted on CTAF frequency 122.8, the FAA identifier is S64. For additional information contact Biggerstaff Field by telephone at (808) 754-1639.
The Great Falls International Airport serves Alaska, Allegiant Air, Delta, and United Airlines. Currently, direct flights are available to Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Seattle. For up-to-date flight schedules and airport information, please refer to the airport website: www.gtfairport.com.
Approximate distances to other Montana cities and points of interest from the Strand Ranch Headquarters:
Geraldine, MT – 16 miles
Geyser, MT – 16 miles
Stanford, MT – 32 miles
Fort Benton, MT – 44 miles
Lewistown, MT – 50 miles
Great Falls, MT – 60 miles
Strand Ranch encompasses approximately 30,654 total acres, including:
1,760± State of Montana Leased Acres (599 AUMs)
Solid senior water rights totaling about 33.24 CFS provide good flows to irrigate the approximately 1,050 acres of irrigated meadows and sub-irrigated bottom land. Historically, the Ranch has irrigated about 600 acres of meadows along Cottonwood Creek for hay production yielding between 1.75 to 2.0 tons of grass hay per acre on one cutting of hay. Typically, cattle will consume between 1.25 to 1.5 tons of hay per head during a typical winter.
Cattle are summered in the foothills of the Highwoods and about 134 pairs are moved onto the USFS Highwood Common 415 Permit in the adjoining Lewis and Clark National Forest. The permit allows for 134 pairs to graze from July 1st to October 1st each year and is referred to as a common-use permit. The Ranch cattle run with several other permitees; however, bulls are not allowed to run on the permit. The permitees employ a rider to move and manage cattle during the summer grazing season, which costs each permitee about $14.00 per head. The base cost for the permit is approximately $1.69 per head per month. The USFS cattle are trailed up the Merrill Creek Basin and turned out to the National Forest directly from the Ranch in early July.
The summer pastures on the Ranch are extensively watered with natural springs, stock tanks, spring-fed ponds, and creeks. In most pastures, consistent clean-water sources are located within a half mile of each other. Historically, the cattle have been moved from pasture to pasture by utilizing the water sources. Once pastures have been grazed, pasture gates are opened and stock water turned on in the adjoining pastures, the cattle then drift to fresh grass. The rolling terrain and abundant water sources allow for efficient utilization of the grass resource. It is evident that the resource has been well managed with a significant amount of grass remaining for the following grazing season. The Ranch also utilizes a small 320-acre Bureau of Land Management Allotment which can be used for about 36 Animal Unit Months and can be grazed from June 1st to October 31st annually.
The cattle are brought out of the USFS in early October and to the upper mountain pastures on the deeded ground. On a typical year, the Ranch holds the heifer calves until February, and steer calves ship in late August. The cattle are wintered in the coulees and draws, which comprise the eastern third of the Ranch just to the east of Round Butte in the Ole Coulee drainage. The native grasses are high protein and abundant, maintaining good condition on the cows through the winter months and calving season. Water tanks are strategically located throughout the winter grazing range as well. With consistent water flows, these tanks stay open even during the January and February cold snaps.
GRAZING MANAGEMENT DEFINITIONS
According to Cory Loecker at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Great Falls, the draw for elk in this district is typically as follows:
For the rifle hunter, this is a draw district for bull elk. FWP issues about 100 permits either sex with landowner preference receiving 15 of those tags annually. If drawn, these landowner tags must be used by the landowner in this hunting district. Historically, about 30 names are submitted for the 15 available tags.
Archery tags are handled differently – for archery hunters, 3,700 permits are available statewide for 23 districts outside the Missouri Breaks. Selecting district 447 first choice draw is virtually guaranteed, for second choice it’s about a 50% draw. Non-residents get up to 10% of the rifle tags, in 2018 only two were actually drawn. In the archery bundle, 15% of the tags go to landowner preference; only 20 landowners put in for first choice, and all 20 were drawn. For the non-resident landowners, up to 10% can be drawn. In 2018, 16 non-resident landowners put in and all 16 were drawn.
Elk hunting in this area is outstanding! The Ranch harbors healthy populations of elk as they move from the dark timber cover of the Highwoods to the lush riparian bottoms and hay ground of the Ranch. Good numbers of six-point bull elk are prevalent, including Boone and Crockett, rated 350 to 360-class bulls.
Situated in the Montana Fish Wildlife & Parks Hunting District 447, the Ranch has been outfitted for about the past 22 years by the current Ranch Manager. The Ranch Manager’s agricultural and hunting lease expired on December 31, 2018. This is a draw district with 100 permits available for bull elk. For further information contact Cory Leocker with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks – Region 4 at 406‑454-5840. Additional information is also available online at https://myfwp.mt.gov/fwpPub/planahunt.
The diverse ecosystem supplies prime habitat for a variety of bird species. Plentiful numbers of sharptailed grouse and Hungarian partridge make their home in the brush-lined coulees and grassy savannas of the Ranch. Good numbers of pheasant populate the Cottonwood Creek bottoms as well. A notable Helena-based outfitter contracted with the Ranch for many years, bringing high-end clients to Strand Ranch to experience its beauty and abundant bird populations.
Venturing off the Ranch, one need not go far to experience the blue-ribbon waters of the stunning Big Spring Creek which flows through Lewistown and sustains a strong population of rainbow and brown trout. Big Spring Creek is one of the largest freshwater springs in the United States. It originates southeast of Lewistown and provides devoted anglers with 26 miles of pristine water to enjoy.
Owner’s Home
HEADQUARTERS
Manager’s House
Fleetwood Double-Wide
Hired Man’s House
Garage for Hired Man’s House
The 30’ x 55’ three-bay garage has a steel roof and concrete floor. It has power, and one of the bays has an electric heater. The upstairs is utilized for storage. This building appears to be in fair condition.
Steel Equipment Storage
The 5,000± square-foot Behlen building is primarily used for equipment storage. Made of steel-girder construction with a metal roof, the 50′ x100′ structure, built in 1971, has two 24′ x 14′ sliding doors. The building has a dirt floor and is not insulated.
Main Shop
The 1,500± square-foot Behlen shop of steel-girder construction with a metal roof was built in 1972. The 30′ x 50′ insulated building with 220 power is heated with gas-forced air and has two overhead Reznor heaters and a wash sink. The shop is easily accessible with 16′ x 12′ and 12′ x 12′ roll-up doors.
Quonset
The 1986 Behlen Quonset is approximately 2,800 square feet. The 40’ x 70’ steel structure has a concrete floor and two 16’ x 12’ roll-up doors. It does have electricity and appears to be in very good condition.
Historic Horse Barn
The 30′ x 100′ historic horse barn, with a corrugated tin roof, has six stalls, an alley with a dirt floor, and a tack room with a wood floor. The historic barn was constructed in the early 1900s and appears to be in fair condition.
Working Corrals
The working corrals are situated along the Cottonwood Creek drainage about a half mile south of the owner’s home. They allow for efficient management during calving season and shipping. The corrals are made of post-and-rail construction and appear to be well-maintained.
Two wood-framed calving sheds adjoining the working corrals have electricity and are utilized as needed during the calving season. In addition, there is a 20,000-pound Fairbanks Morse scale certified in 2018, a Silencer chute, and a circular tub-and-alley system.
In 2001, the Seller placed a conservation easement on approximately 13,380 acres of the Ranch with Montana Land Reliance. The easement encompasses the current headquarters and allows for a total of five residences within the conserved area. It also allows for two rustic cabins or trailers with limitations; no residential rights or cabin rights can be conveyed in the event of a transfer of the Ranch. Furthermore, it prohibits opening up additional acres for farming but provides for farming in the historically farmed areas. To receive a complete copy of the conservation easement document, please contact our Bozeman Office.
What is now known as Strand Ranch was originally established in the 1860s by Henry MacDonald, a sheep farmer who, at a young age, followed the mantra “Go west, young man, go west.” In 1887, MacDonald sold his holdings – squatters rights, improvements, and his sheep, to L & M Ranch Company. MacDonald’s range consisted of about 230,400 acres. Ole Osnes, a sailor from Norway, made his way to Montana and, in 1882, began working for Henry MacDonald. After five years of working for MacDonald and learning about the sheep business, he filed for a homestead between Square Butte and Round Butte. Within five years he was granted a patent for the land and bought his own sheep. Over the next few years, he acquired many more acres including 1,463± acres from L & M Ranch Company, the original MacDonald holdings on Cottonwood Creek. Ole was astute at acquiring land through Acts that were passed, such as the Stock Raising Homestead Act of 1916 and the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934, as well as purchasing homesteads that were too small to ranch. By 1937, he had the deeds to over 23,000 acres, and he never had a mortgage. That year Ole, who was very well known throughout the state, was killed in a car accident.
In 1944, Osnes Cattle Company sold the ranch to the Strand family. The Strands had been in the cattle business since 1902, when Oswald Strand, at the age of 16, bought his first two steers. Although one of them died, he did not lose his dream of working in the cattle business. By the time he was 20 years old, he and his brother bought the family farm in Iowa. Oswald married Maude Peshak in 1911 and the couple had six children. Oswald Strand & Son was established in 1940 when his son Leroy joined him in the livestock business. And in 1944, Oswald along with his wife and two of their sons, Leroy and Dean, bought the 22,500-acre Osnes Ranch in Montana. In 1954 they bought the adjoining 9,100-acre Stillwell Ranch. Cattle from the Ranch were sold each year at the Strand Cattle Sale in Iowa, which was one of the largest auction sales of privately owned feeder cattle in the country. In 1951, over 4,000 cattle were sold for over $1,000,000.
In 1964 the Strand Ranch partnership dissolved, and Leroy became the sole owner of Strand Ranch. Although Leroy spent much of his time in Iowa helping his father, in 1967 he bought a mobile home for the Ranch in Montana, and by 1975, when he retired, he began spending the majority of his time on the Ranch. In 1981, Leroy married Claris Loberg, who started working with the cattle on Strand Ranch in 1973. Claris’s son, Gary was hired in 1982 as a foreman and worked on the Ranch for several years. Leroy operated and managed the Ranch until 1998 when he leased the Ranch and cattle to Tony and Tanara Martin. Leroy continued to live on the Ranch and remained an active partner, friend, and advisor to the Martins. In 2000, Leroy, an avid environmentally-focused advocate, received the first runners-up award for environmental stewardship from the Montana Stockgrowers Association. In 2016 at the age of 97, Leroy Strand passed away. His legacy lives on through his selfless philanthropic gestures to the local community.
The majority of the property is at an elevation of around 3,200 to 4,200 feet above sea level. The highest point on the Ranch is the peak of Round Butte, located near the center of the Ranch, sitting at about 5,370 feet above sea level; the lowest portion sits around 3,240 feet in the southeast portion.
The average annual precipitation in Geyser is approximately 17 inches of rain and 118 inches of snow. Average maximum temperatures in June, July, and August range from 75° to 85° Fahrenheit. In December, January, and February, average maximum temperatures are between 35° and 40 ° Fahrenheit. Summer nights average about 51° Fahrenheit. Winter average minimum is between 14° and 18° Fahrenheit. This is an area that receives a good amount of sunshine throughout the year with an average of 186 sunny days.
The Seller hereby makes known that there may be variations between the deeded property lines and the location of the existing fence boundary lines on Strand Ranch. The Seller makes no warranties with regard to the location of the fence lines in relationship to the deeded property lines, nor does the Seller make any warranties or representations with regard to specific acreage within the fenced property lines.
The Seller is selling Strand 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.
Strand Ranch represents a rare opportunity to acquire a genuine operating ranch with remarkable big-game hunting and with enough size, scale, and carrying capacity to make some business sense even in today’s tumultuous economic climate. The Ranch is ideally located in one of Central Montana’s most desirable and appealing areas. The Geyser-Geraldine area affords all of the resources for successful ranching and enjoyment of an unsullied lifestyle and privacy away from metropolitan America.
The Ranch is in fine operating condition with good improvements but not overdone. The pastures are in superb condition. In managing the grass resource, every effort has been made to carry over ample feed for the following grazing season – a testimony to the conservative grazing practices implemented over the many years of ownership.
The success of many Central Montana ranches hinges on the quality and quantity of grass. One of the key components making this Ranch so attractive to a rancher is the combination of a good hay base, ample spring pasture, and solid summer pasture to carry cattle through all seasons. The hard grass country of Judith Basin and Chouteau Counties has traditionally generated solid weight gains at a low cost.
Prospective Buyers with an interest in portfolio diversification and a desire to own one of Montana’s true working outfits should seriously consider Strand Ranch. It is rare to find a large contiguous land holding with such strong operating resources and a sense of history.
- All offers to purchase must be in writing and accompanied by an earnest money deposit check in the amount of 3.00% of the Purchaser’s offering price;
- Each offer must also be accompanied with the name and telephone number of the Purchaser’s private banker to assist the Sellers and their agents in ascertaining the Purchaser’s financial ability to consummate a purchase;
- All Purchasers must demonstrate to the Seller’s satisfaction unquestioned financial capability to purchase the Ranch prior to scheduling an inspection;
- Earnest money deposits will be placed in escrow with First American Title Company of Great Falls, Montana;
- The Sellers will provide and pay for a standard owner’s title insurance policy. Any endorsements requested by the Buyer or any lender will be at the Buyer’s expense. Title to the real property will be conveyed via a deed;
- All of the Ranch’s water rights will be transferred to the Purchaser and all of the mineral rights which the Sellers actually own will be conveyed to the Purchaser at Closing.
- Buyers’ Brokers are welcome and cordially invited to contact Listing Broker Mike Swan, for information regarding Cooperation Policies and Commission Splits.
- The equipment, machinery, livestock, and miscellaneous shop tools and supplies would also be available for purchase via a separate Bill of Sale and negotiated separately from the real estate transaction, making this a turn-key operation for the next owner. Please contact our Bozeman Office for a complete inventory and pricing.
This entire Offering is subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, change or withdrawal without notice and approval of purchase by the Seller. Information regarding land classifications, acreages, carrying capacities, crop yields, potential profits, etc., is intended only as general guidelines and has been obtained from sources deemed reliable; however, accuracy is not warranted or guaranteed by the Seller or Swan Land Company. Prospective Buyers should verify all information to their sole and complete satisfaction.
Michael S. Swan
Suggested Properties
STRAND RANCH
- 30,974 Total
- $35,250,000
McGuire Spring Creek Ranch
- 3,843 Deeded
- $9,950,000
NF Ranch on the Musselshell River
- 4,531 Deeded
- $7,695,000