Crazy Talk

Luxury and land swaps in Park County.

The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast,
The slow one now
Will later be fast.
As the present now
Will later be past,
The order is rapidly fadin’
And the first one now
Will later be last.
For the times, they are a-changin’
—Bob Dylan

There’s a new outfit in town. That outfit being CrossHarbor Capital Partners, parent company of the Yellowstone Club, and the town being Deadrock, the one-street tourist draw on the Crazy Mountain Ranch. The 18,000-acre estate was, like many of the properties in the area, a working cattle ranch for over a century. Beginning in the 1990s and early 2000s, the property switched gears, reducing its cattle efforts to focus on tourism—building a town that resembled the Old West, complete with saloons, a jail, and bartenders to play the part. In 1999, Marlboro cigarettes’ parent company, the Philip Morris Corporation, purchased the ranch and used it to host sweepstakes winners on a Montana getaway. Loyal customers were treated to a week’s stay at the “Marlboro Ranch,” where guests enjoyed any number of outdoor activities, while dolled up in Stetsons, Wranglers, and cowboy boots. In 2021, Philip Morris sold the place to CrossHarbor, whose plans of developing an exclusive, luxury, “authentically Montanan” retreat are beginning to unfold.

In the initial press release, CrossHarbor’s subsidiary Lone Mountain Land Company announced that they had no plans of building a residential subdivision. Instead, they are erecting something else altogether. Among other facilities, guests can expect a new 16-suite lodge, spa and fitness center, events barn, tennis court, chapel, and two extravagant golf courses. One thing worth pointing out is that Park County doesn’t have zoning restrictions, meaning that Crazy Mountain Ranch can build anything they damn well please.

Though disputed by private landowners as illegal, a trail at the mouth of Sweet Grass canyon has historically served as a public launch point to enter the heart of the range.

Coincidentally (or not), while construction was underway in January, the Forest Service issued approval for the East Crazy Inspiration Divide Land Exchange. While the land swap deals with parcels on the range’s eastern slope (Crazy Mountain Ranch is on the west), CrossHarbor was a major stakeholder in the deal. The Yellowstone Club is footing the bill for the development of a 22-mile trail connecting Big Timber and Sweet Grass drainages. In return, they are receiving 500 acres of land in the Madison Range that allows them to expand their private ski terrain further across Eglise Peak. The Forest Service received a slice of ground similar in size to the east of Cedar Mountain and along the Inspiration Divide Trail.

With regards to the lion’s share of the swap, 3,855 acres of National Forest was traded for 6,110 acres of private land. The new “Sweet Trunk Trail” will contour the Crazy’s eastern slope in a manner that will allow hikers to remain on public ground the entire time. This replaces the existing and highly-contested East Trunk Trail, a lower elevation path historically challenged by private landowners as illegal. The public will also acquire the “Smeller Lake” parcel west of Crazy Peak.

The swap’s public comment period was divided with support and opposition. On the one hand, public and private inholdings are further consolidated, reducing a century’s headache of land arguments. On the other, productive public wildlife habitat in the foothills has been traded for high-elevation scree fields. Of course, user groups such as skiers and peak-baggers are appreciative of this as it guarantees routes to quality terrain. The Crow Nation has also been granted access to Crazy Peak, a mountain they have long considered sacred. Still, the idea of swapping lowlands and critical winter range for rock and ice has many people wondering who got the better deal.

The Crazies appear to be the next bleeding victim of Montana’s wealth infestation.

Take the Sweet Grass drainage for example. Though disputed by private landowners as illegal, a trail at the mouth of the canyon has historically served as a public launch point to enter the heart of the range. The land swap now legally forfeits that use, severing public access to the entrance forever. Indeed, the bulk of Sweet Grass is still available to the public, but it will require a lot more effort. It will now take a 22-mile jaunt to intersect the point that the current Sweet Grass Trail reaches in five miles. Outfitters and other private landowners, including the aptly named Sweet Grass Ranch (which has a Forest Service permit to guide on public lands) will be the sole parties to access the drainage via its mouth.

Across the Crazy Mountains, determination from landowners to keep people out has resulted in a steady loss of public access ever since the railroad grants of 1864. We are now finding remedies, but they certainly don’t come without compromise. The East Crazy Inspiration Divide Land Exchange prohibits private properties under 160 acres from building subdivisions and conducting mineral extraction. It also places deed restrictions on the exchanged parcels in the Sweet Grass drainage stating that the public has the first right of refusal if another sale is proposed in the next 10 years.

But is that adequate? Is 10 years long enough? Eventually, that consolidated land will be too valuable not to sell. What those parcels do not involve are any conservation easements that guarantee the specific protection of wildlife habitat, encourage future access, or prevent the creation of another private resort.

Cattle operations have turned into games where actors host plutocrats to play cowboy dress-up.

Which brings us back to the west side of the range. The Crazy Mountain Ranch’s website reads that it is for “those who enjoy their spaces wide, wide, wide open.” What it should also say is that it is for people with deep, deep, deep pockets. Membership dues for the Yellowstone Club run $40,000 a year, after an initial deposit of $400,000 and yearly property-owners’ association dues of $10,000. What it will cost to visit the Crazy Mountain Ranch remains a mystery, but most of Park County residents probably won’t qualify for an invitation anyway. They will, however, get to deal with the impacts of the Shields River running low. You know the saying: “Shit flows downstream… unless it’s diverted elsewhere to irrigate an immaculate golf course in the middle of the mountains.”

Part of a broader trend sweeping across the American West, the Crazies appear to be the next bleeding victim of Montana’s wealth infestation. Most of the chokepoints to quality hunting grounds are now guarded by outfitters. Trails historically used by the public are no longer accessible, while private-land leases increase throughout the entire range. Meanwhile, surrounding property values skyrocket as deluxe dude ranches transform not only the landscape, but the way people interact with the natural world around them. Third-, fourth-, fifth-generation working ranches are being replaced by luxurious country clubs and multimillion-dollar holiday homes. Cattle operations have turned into games where actors host plutocrats to play cowboy dress-up. An experience with nature has shifted from having an intimate knowledge of the landscape to a two-week guided vacation with five-star service and exceptional amenities at every turn.

It happened to Colorado years ago; now it’s happening to Montana. This is the New West. Brace yourself.