N Bar Ranch
Grass Range, MTSteeped in the history of the American West lies the N Bar Ranch spanning more than 60,000± contiguous acres in the foothills of central Montana’s Snowy Mountains, 100 miles north of Billings, Montana.
The 10,540± acre Choteau Mountain Ranch includes 5,060± deeded acres and adjoining State and Federal leases. The Teton River passes through on the south with the bulk of the ranch situated to the north of the river running up to the Lewis and Clark National Forest boundary. The national forest almost immediately transitions into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area on what is known locally as the “Rocky Mountain Front”. The ranch has water rights to irrigate over 250 acres on the east end of the ranch. It is extensively and thoughtfully improved with an attractive owner's home, guest cabins, an indoor arena, a full shop, livestock facilities and many miles of new fencing. Access to the ranch from the town of Choteau is a short 17 mile drive on paved roads. Of greater importance is the fact that the Choteau Mountain Ranch represents a “linchpin property” within one of the most ecologically diverse and intact ecosystems in North America. This is an overthrust region where giant slabs of granite broke free as plates collided, creating rock escarpments extending thousands of feet in the air overshadowing a vast expanse of prairie that extends to the east all the way to the Mississippi River. Within this transitional corridor, mountain goats and antelope virtually live together along with a wide variety of ungulates and predators. One can also observe giant migrations of birds that follow the Front Range to their destinations. The setting is indescribably wild and beautiful and for these reasons there has been a great amount of effort implemented by state and federal agencies along with the private landowners and land trusts to insure that this treasured landscape remains perpetually protected. The Choteau Mountain Ranch is a “linchpin” because it is one of the few properties along this mountain front that have not been protected from development. In addition to the wilderness complex to the west, there are multiple dedicated game ranges to the north and to the south and The Nature Conservancy has protected extensive lands immediately to the south where they have multiple conservation easements and their flagship Pine Butte Preserve.
Tim brought two colleagues to the property initially, leveraging years of experience and perspective related to valuation.
I had the pleasure of working with Tim Murphy on the sale of a family property in Paradise Valley, Montana. I interviewed four agents in the Bozeman and Livingston markets and selected Hall and Hall because of the agency’s reputation for expertise in high-end ranch property and global marketing....