The
DANA Ranch BY
Dana Ranch Cascade, Montana
Executive Summary The Dana Ranch runs on nearly 60,000 acres, of which 45,058 is deeded with the balance being primarily State of Montana leases that are captured within the boundaries of the ranch. The ranch is modestly and adequately improved with no extravagant or inappropriate structures. It consists of two parts. One is a group of three units on or near the river, containing approximately 3,600 acres and situated along 4 miles of the Missouri River just above and below Cascade. The second part is a mountain unit containing over 55,000 acres located 20 miles to the south of the river units along the headwaters of Hound Creek. Taking everything into consideration, the Dana is considered by many knowledgeable cattlemen to be one of the finest operating ranches in Montana. It is without question a true “Legacy Ranch” – a ranch that no family would want to sell, always preferring to pass it on as a legacy to future generations. Edwin Dana, who put it together and had no family to leave it to, cared enough to pass it along to the Cameron family because John Cameron, the father of David Cameron who operated the ranch until its sale at the end of 2012, was his friend, confidant, advisor and banker during the Great Depression. It is has been treasured by the Danas and the Camerons over the last nearly one hundred years. It has operated profitably in even the worst of times. It is a massive resource that includes amazing wildlife and fisheries which thrive like its livestock in an incredibly rich environment that includes strong grasses, near optimum climatic conditions, and an amazing diversity of terrain and habitats. It is a ranch that, with the exception of a very few intensively managed acres on the lower unit, cries out to be left to its own devices – to let nature do its job which it does so well. Conveniently located near Great Falls, it is estimated to carry 3,000 animal units along with its enormous recreational/wildlife component that includes huge elk herds, over 18 miles of “Blue Ribbon” quality fisheries, extensive upland bird, water fowl and pheasant habitat; and substantial populations of mule deer, white tail deer and antelope.
Location The Dana Ranch’s River Bottom Headquarters lies two miles south of Cascade and 24 miles south of Great Falls, Montana. It is accessed off of Interstate 15 at the Cascade exit. The main bodyof the ranch lies 20 miles further south where the county road dead ends.
Locale The area surrounding the Dana Ranch is near the geographic center of Montana. The Big Sky stretches in all directions above mountains, rivers and plains. The Smith River country defines its geography to the south, the Rocky Mountain Front to the northwest, the Sweet Grass Hills and Bear Paw Mountains to the north, and the Northern Great Plains sprawl to the east. The Missouri River runs through the midst of the region from west to east. In 1805, the first nonIndians traveled up the Missouri. Lewis and Clark’s journals report that their Corps of Discovery could hear the “great falls” of the Missouri seven miles before they came upon them. Five falls drop a total of 512 feet over 10 miles. It took the Expedition a full month to portage around them. It is quintessential “Charlie Russell country”. This is the landscape that the turn of the 20th century cowboy artist made famous with his beautiful paintings, which described so eloquently everyday life in this spectacular country. This was, and in a very palpable way still is, a land of abundant game and Native American peoples. Gold strikes and cattle drives moved in during the 1800’s. It is this combination of cultures and landscape that Russell saw and portrayed following his arrival in 1880. And it is this same landscape, still so unpopulated and natural, that makes up the setting of the Dana Ranch.
The community immediately surrounding the main part of the ranch – the 55,000 acre Mountain Unit – is worthy of note. Many mountain ranches in Montana dine out on the fact that they adjoin the National Forest. The Dana Ranch actually is quite proud of the fact that it does not adjoin a National Forest – rather it adjoins two ranches of nearly equal scale that have been very tightly held for over 100 years. Devil’s Kitchen Working Group was formed to work with Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks to manage the wildlife on this enormous block of privately owned critical wildlife habitat. This group represents what many consider to be the most enlightened approach to game management in the region. But, more importantly it speaks to the benefits of a community of well managed private ranches that are able to control their own destiny and can deal with the public in recognition that they too share in these incredible resources.
General Description
To describe the Dana as an American Serengeti could be marginally accurate but is actually limiting. In the springtime one would swear it was the Scottish Moors, but that would leave out a significant portion of the ranch along the Missouri River, where it is all Montana featuring a big trout filled river with irrigated hay, cottonwood bottoms mixed with river slough wetlands full of waterfowl and pheasant. This would also ignore its history as one of the great cattle ranches of Montana. Thirty-six hundred acres of the ranch lie just across the river from Cascade, while 55,000 acres are situated 20 miles further south in the upper Smith River country. This so-called Mountain Unit encompasses almost the entire Hound Creek Valley, which drains into the Smith just below the ranch boundary. The River Units are at 3,500 feet elevation, each about 1,200 acres in size and lie within two miles of each other. They provide the winter feed and the spring calving location for the 3,000 animal units that the ranch supports.
Six miles of the paved Cascade/Hound Creek Rd. and 15 miles of the gravel county road named for the historic town of Adel lead into big ranch country and to the Dana Ranch’s main 87 square mile Mountain Unit. Cattle ranches of 20,000 and 70,000 acres flank the ranch to the south and east. Two “small” 5,000 acre ranches border to the north and west. As one approaches the ranch, from its northwestern corner, near the confluences of Hound and West Hound, Porcupine and Government Creeks, the elevation is 4,000 feet. At the center of the ranch, around the 6,500 foot Round Top Mountain, springs feed the its 63 miles of live creeks and timbered coulees with names such as Pine, Mowing Machine, Trout and Whitetail. The southwestern end of the ranch is the highest. Rising above the B&K Headquarters on Hound Creek, near Elk and
Crooked Creeks, the ranch reaches 6,700 feet at its highest point on its southern border. The name Hound Creek recurs frequently when talking about the Dana. Its trout filled 12 miles course south to north through much of its length. Its main valley is quite dramatic. Many would call it a canyon. At certain places it can be 800 to 1,000 feet deep. Spring fed aspen copses cascade down its hillsides. In general the Hound Creek valley itself tends to be narrow and much of the ranch lies in its foothills and tributaries sprawling across rolling ridges and high open meadows. It is very appealing country where one never knows what one will find over the next ridge or in the next valley. However, when one is “on top”, the terms “Big Sky” and “Charlie Russell Country” immediately come to mind. This is about as big as it gets in Montana.
Acreage by Ranch Unit
River Units: The Swett, Rumney and Thoroughman, aka Rocky Reef, units are located on or near the Missouri River at the town of Cascade. The Swett and Rumney units lie within two miles of one another and include the entire hay base for the ranch. These three units total 3,597 deeded acres and 38 acres of BLM lease. The deeded acres breakdown as follows: • Swett Unit: 1,165 acres • Rumney Unit: 1,191 acres • Thoroughman Unit: 1,240 acres
Mountain Unit: The Mountain Unit lies 20 miles south of the River Units. It consists of 41,460 deeded acres plus 14,136 State Leased acres and 81 acres of BLM lease. These deeded and leased lands total 55,677 acres in a single private block of 87 square miles of land. Formalized, recordable legal access agreements have been acquired from the State along the traditional ranch roads that have always been used across the many state leased sections. These roads connect the deeded property within the ranch and the agreements now provide for insurable access between them.
Operations
Cattle
Historically the ranch has needed about 14 acres of range to graze an animal unit for the traditional 10.5 month grazing season. Theoretically this allows for 4,000 animal units of grazing. However, given the size of elk herd on the ranch, the more conservative figure for the ranch’s carrying capacity, year in and out, is closer to 3,000 animal units. Currently the ranch is runs just over 2,200 bred cows, 950 yearlings and 350 replacement heifers. There are two breeding herds. The spring calving herd consists of 1,650 cows and the June calving herd numbers 450 cows. Historically, the weight of the spring steer calves averages 600 pounds. The late renowned Montana cattleman Tommy Lane had bought the Dana Ranch calves for 40 years. He was always known for his eye for quality cattle. It was no secret that he coveted the Dana Ranch and his family has owned the neighboring ranch for many years. The spring calving cattle herd is trailed from the Mountain to the River units during the last week of February where they are fed hay for six weeks. After calving and branding, the pairs go to the Thoroughman Place, also known as Rocky Reef. They gather them there into groups of 500 and trail them to the Mountain unit where they are turned out on grass in early May. The June calving herd winters out and calves on the Mountain unit.
Stock Water
The Dana has 63 miles of free flowing water during the grazing season. The flowing creeks used for stock water purposes include Main Hound, which is fed by the following eleven tributaries: Elk, Middle Hound, East Hound, Camp (Encampment), Crooked, Hines, Whitetail, Pine Coulee, Government, West Hound and Porcupine Creeks. In addition Trout Creek, Two Creek, One Creek and Mud Gulch head up on the ranch and flow independently into the Smith River drainage. The only place where pastures are without flowing water is on the western side of the Mountain Unit - between the BK and the Home Place. However, a large spring exists there and was developed high up on a hillside and placed into a high pressure system running water through 25,000 ft. of buried pipeline. Eight additional developed springs provide clean stock water to livestock and wildlife in collecting troughs. On the River Units, the stock water is off river, to avoid winter ice and environmental issues. The Thoroughman Tract contains two reservoirs for stock watering purposes as well as drinking access on an irrigation ditch. On the Rumney Unit there is a well and three stock tanks. The Swett Place has two stock water wells for use while cattle are wintering and calving there.
Grazing Resources
The Mountain Unit is virtually 100% native range. Approximately 150 acres (out of 54,000 acres of range in this unit) were once cultivated by homesteaders. The rangeland covers a wide diversity of types over its 2700 feet of elevation change - from riparian all the way to north-slope timber. There are timbered hill tops and ravines, foothills and sub mountain range land with a mix of forbs and grasses. The diversity on the Dana ranch is a real magnet and offers excellent habitat for all grazing animals - domestic and wild. Indicator species tell us much. For example there is an absence of sage brush and Junipers and there are extensive willow populations. Another way to look at the carrying capacity of the range is that over a number of years, government researchers monitored the ranch. They found 1,500 pounds of edible dry matter per acre, outside of the treed areas. By way of reference most ranchers calculate that they need around 30 pounds per day of dry matter for a cow and that 30% of the potential feed will be lost to waste and selective grazing. With a 10 ½ month grazing season and some 54,000 acres of grazing, theoretically there is enough grazing for over 6,000 cattle. Clearly one does not utilize every sprig of grass on every acre in every year. Some acres are less productive and one must keep a reserve for the vagaries of nature. Also, the abundant wildlife consumes a considerable portion of the range grass. However, research certainly speaks to the productivity of the rangeland on the Dana.
Timber Resources
It is estimated that there are 1,800 acres of the timber on the ranch. These are approximately 70% Douglas fir; 10% Limber Pine; 10% Ponderosa Pine; 10% Lodge pole Pine. Aspen are found in copses surrounding many springs.
Wildlife Resources To support and document the ecological values of the Dana Ranch for purposes of a proposed conservation easement, a State Wildlife Biologist responsible for the area volunteered the following: The Dana Ranch, has long been known as one of the most productive ranches for both cattle and wildlife not only in Montana, but in the western United States. This ranch has been managed with precision and professionalism for generations. This stewardship is evident in the quality of the habitats present today. The combination of riparian, grassland, shrub-grassland, and timbered grassland communities lends this property to numerous species of wildlife including game species such as elk, whitetail and mule deer, pronghorn, black bear, mountain lion, sharp-tailed grouse, blue grouse, ruffed grouse, pheasant, Hungarian partridge, and numerous species of waterfowl. Furbearers such as bobcat, beaver, muskrat, mink, otter also occupy the property. Wildlife habitats on the Dana Ranch consist of grassland, shrub-grassland communities, timber stands and riparian forests. What follows is a classic “recipe” for cattle, but the recipe also greatly lends itself to wildlife needs throughout the year. The most common native grassland species include: Idaho fescue, rough fescue and bluebunch wheatgrass. Common forbs that occur among the grassland complex are western yarrow, lupine, arrowleaf balsamroot, yellow sweetclover, and pussytoes. These grasslands provide valuable spring, summer and fall habitat for antelope, sharp-tailed grouse and a host of native grassland songbirds, both resident and migratory. The rich and abundant shrub stands include: hawthorne, wild rose, snowberry, chokecherry, serviceberry,
current, and others that flourish in relatively moist and productive habitats. The riparian forests along Elk, Crooked, Whitetail, West Hound, Porcupine and Government Creeks, along with the Missouri River are dominated by healthy stands of black cottonwood, aspen, willow, dogwood and other riparian tree/shrub species. Currently, 300-500 resident elk occupy the upper Dana Ranch, along with an additional 300-500 migratory elk from neighboring areas, which utilize the ranch’s mountain grassland communities as critical wintering areas. Further evidence of excellent land management practices. Not only is the Dana Ranch known for its elk habitats and hunting opportunities, don’t forget about the antelope, whitetail and mule deer. Deer numbers on the ranch vary by species and location, but the upper Dana Ranch holds a host of “mulies” and whitetails. The lower ranch “Rocky Reef’ parcel also holds very good mule deer numbers. The ranch property along the Missouri River holds some of the highest concentrations of whitetails on the river between Helena and Great Falls. Located in antelope Hunting District 450, antelope numbers on the Dana are among the highest of any ranch in the district and region. In summary, the Dana Ranch is a special place to many people, including myself. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with the Dana Ranch on hunter access and wildlife management issues with Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Devil’s Kitchen Working group the past three years. I have hunted and worked on, and with, many ranches in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and western Nebraska and South Dakota and have yet to see many that can top the Dana Ranch as far as a successful cattle operation in its size that benefits cattle, wildlife and the neighborhood ranching community. Hopefully this great ranching and wildlife history continues for generations to come.
Some additional details are worth nothing.
Big Game The State Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department’s recent game count census includes a flyover of the Mountain Unit. In the winter of 2010 there were approximately 4,000 elk either on the ranch or within a 15 mile radius of it. In the count, among the 2,400 elk both on the ranch and close to it, there were an estimated 650 branch antlered bulls and 150 spikes - demonstrating the management efforts which have created a nearly perfect 1:2 bull to cow ratio. With such a healthy and controlled population, the ranch has been successful in creating an environment where big bulls are quite common as the bulls do not expel all of their energy breeding and are able to survive the winter months to an older age with less stress and higher stored fat. It is not uncommon to see several hundred bulls in a single herd. The Dana Ranch is where the bulls tend to congregate for most of the year, primarily due to a long series of high benches with slopes of dense north facing timber. This is the elk’s favored habitat. This also happens to make up a critical land mass in a larger eco-system. The area around and including the ranch connects two of the mountain ranges within the so-called Yellowstone to Yukon wildlife conservation corridor. This joint Canada-US initiative seeks to preserve and maintain the wildlife, native plants, wilderness and natural processes of the mountainous region from Yellowstone National Park to the Yukon Territory. The Dana Ranch is part of connecting the Big and Little Belt Mountains, which ultimately also connect to the Rocky Mountains. On the ranch in the summer it’s easy to see 500 elk anytime, typically in three cow elk groups of several hundred each. There will also be groups of 75 bulls each scattered over the ranch. In the winter there are even more. Contributing to these elk population numbers is the fact that wolves are scarce, there having been only distant sightings; grizzly bears have not been seen; and black bears are only occasionally spotted. As for deer, there are hundreds. Groups of grazing mule deer are practically always in sight on the Mountain Unit. This is classic mule deer country. The owner has controlled the harvest typically to just eight to ten bucks to insure their quality. The antelope population on the Mountain Unit is several hundred. The whitetail deer are in quantity on the River Units. The irrigated hay crops and riverine forests along the River Unit bottomlands are typical whitetail habitat and support some 200 deer. To try to keep this in control 70-80 are harvested each year. However, the largest whitetails are on the Mountain Unit. These big bucks find refuge and solitude in the densely covered valley’s and coulee’s hidden within the girth of the mountain unit. It is not unheard of to find bucks well in excess of the Boone and Crocket minimum standards.
Upland Birds The most significant species on the ranch is the Hungarian Partridge with Sharptailed Grouse in second position. For the past 25 years the now-retired professional biologist and administrator for the State’s wildlife has hunted the ranch for these birds. He relates that, The Dana Ranch has some of the best habitat in Central Montana for these two species. In high production years the numbers are almost beyond belief. I’ve seen over 150 birds fly from a single brushy hillside. I never hunted much of the Dana in comparison to the total acreage, just because it wasn’t necessary. The number of birds bagged is a form of measure, but hunting the Dana provides so much more. It’s difficult to describe the feeling of hearing a bull elk bugling while at the same time watching your dog working along a hillside alive with fall colors. The mule deer and antelope were almost to the point of a bother when bird hunting! I have spent over three decades working around the state of Montana and don’t hesitate to say that the Dana Ranch is one of the richest wildlife ranches Montana has to offer. The wildlife habitat is the reason for all of this. There are thousands of acres of native prairie grasses and forbs over varying topography. Other upland game bird species present in significant numbers include blue grouse, and occasionally ruffed grouse and ring-necked pheasant.
Non Game There are Blue Heron, nesting eagles and Sandhill Cranes. Both kinds of eagles - Bald and Golden - are always present. Of the predatory terrestrials sector there are lions, bears, coyotes, badgers, bobcats, a few fox and raccoon. Of snakes there are of course many species, and here the only venomous ones are the prairie rattlesnake. They are present more in certain parts of the Rocky Reef and the Mountain Unit. As a policy on the ranch they are not killed unless they are a threat in the yard of a house. Even then ranch personnel try to relocate them. No one has ever been bitten in the hundred year history of the ranch.
Fishing Resources The Dana Ranch possesses two trout fishing resources. First is the 14 miles of private stream wadefishing for cutthroat-rainbow (cut-bow) hybrids, brook and brown trout primarily on hound Creek. The water is a culmination of countless numbers of emergent springs which collect and flow out of virtually every valley within the ranch, adding quality spring water into each reach of stream they enter. The result is a high quality spring fed system which maintains fairly consistent flows and temperatures favorable to trout and insects and conducive to dense populations. Twelve of the miles of private stream are the meander of Hound Creek and another two are Crooked Creek. As noted earlier, Hound Creek runs the length of the Mountain Unit offering abundant fishing its entire course. It is most easily accessed on its southern and northern beats. However, the middle section goes through a spectacular 800 foot deep canyon strewn with boulders creating deep pockets for lurking trout. As for the quantity and size of the trout in Hound Creek, the family scrapbook has at least one photograph of a 29 inch, nine pound brown trout landed in upper Hound Creek. The other trout fishing asset of the ranch is four miles of the Missouri River. The ranch fronts on a famous section of what serious trout fishermen affectionately call the “MO”. It is unquestionably one of the state’s best trout fishing rivers, and argued by many to be the best. Technically the 25 mile tailwater section below Holter Dam, which fishermen revere, ends a few miles above the ranch. Fortunately the trout have not been made aware of this boundary and fishing through the ranch is excellent and not so heavily floated by the public. The most popular way the river is fished is by drift boat. Most exit the river five miles above the ranch. Therefore, the traffic is much diminished on the ranch’s stretch of the river. Also, it makes for a nice five mile float/fish to take a boat upstream to the next put-in and fish one’s way home. There, a simple pullout ramp could easily be built next to one of the barns to house your boat. And once the river volume drops at the end of June each year, the wade fishing becomes ideal through the summer and fall. Rainbow trout of 8-22 inches are common on the MO, and the less abundant browns are commonly 14-21 inches. But the river is best known for its great number of 16-18 inchers. On a good day a dozen will be brought “to hand”. If you don’t know it, don’t laugh when you hear, that there is a growing popularity and reverence among ardent fly fishermen for the MO’s carp. These fish are surprisingly alert and can be a challenge to catch, but once hooked these fish, often exceeding ten pounds, will humble most trout rods as they make sometimes unstoppable runs well into ones backing. They are often found surface feeding near trout and can add a new level of excitement to the day.
Water Rights The Ranch has 41 Water Rights on file with the State. Of these 18 are for Irrigation; 15 for Stock; seven for Domestic; and one for Lawn and Garden purposes. Of the Irrigation rights, two are from the Missouri River; and 16 are from creeks on the ranch. Fifteen of them date back in priority over 100 years. The seven domestic rights are sourced in three wells; three creeks and one developed spring.
Mineral Resources Research done by the new owner of the Dana Ranch, indicates that the Dana Ranch Corporation owns virtually all the mineral rights under the ranch’s deeded lands.
History
The Dana Ranch has always been special, its history included. It was assembled almost 100 years ago by the reputed “cattle king of the Northwest”, who, at the time, had the largest purebred Hereford herd in America, Edwin L. Dana, Dana’s artistic wife, Fra, was described by her mentor and the most famous painter of Native Americans, J. H. Sharp, as “one of the finest artists he knew”. Many of her landscapes, still lives and portraits were painted on the Dana Ranch. As is the case with most of Montana’s larger ranches, the Dana Ranch was assembled from smaller homesteads at the beginning of the last century. In 1913 Edwin L. Dana wanted lower operating costs than his equally famous cattle ranch near Parkman, Wyoming. In the Northern Rockies one of the best ways to achieve that is by locating
where the grazing season is long, i.e. free of snow, and yet still close enough to the mountains to have higher precipitation for the range grasses. Locating where Chinook winds blow is a way to accomplish that. This Native American name means “snow eater” and consists of relatively warmer winds during the winter. The Dana Ranch has this important attribute. So Dana started buying homesteads and assembling them into his ranch, finishing the majority of the current configuration by 1928. When it was time for Dana to retire, he turned to his trusted banker, John Cameron, to succeed him. So, in 1943 the Cameron family and a temporary business partner took over. For the first 10 years of the Cameron’s running of the ranch they were raising and selling two-year-old steers – 2,000 of them at a time. Quite the spectacle when it was time to run them over the bridge and through down-town Cascade to be put on the rails for Chicago.
Awards
In 2004 and 2005 the Dana Ranch was recognized by the Cascade County and Montana State Conservation Districts “for outstanding accomplishments in the conservation of natural resources.� The ranch had completed two major conservation projects. One was the redistribution of grazing and drawing away of pressure from several creek riparian zones through the development of 25,000 feet of highpressure pipeline from a spring. The other was the stabilization and landscaping of half a mile of Missouri River bank, together with
prevention of pollution of the river, through relocation of corral fences and the redirecting of drainages. Then in 2006 the Cascade County Historical Society recognized the Cameron family with the Heritage Preservation Award in recognition of the great respect the Cameron family exhibited over the years for Edwin Dana and his ranch. Neither the name of the ranch nor its land configuration has ever changed since Dana created it.
SPECIAL NOTE The Dana Ranch Corporation was sold to the David Killam Family in December of 2012.
Produced in April 2013 by Great Wide Open Publishing for Hall & Hall. All images unless otherwise noted are by Craig W. Hergert Š2013 Montana Panoramic Company • All Rights Reserved.