The high mountain environment of the Bitterroot is beautiful but it is a harsh one to survive year round, leading one of the early inhabitants to remark that, “the only thing you can grow successfully here are jackrabbits!”
Gavin Duncan, one of four brothers from Ayrshire, Scotland, built the original cabin on the west side of the river that runs through the ranch, known to us now as Homestead guest cabin. When Homestead was renovated in 1972, Scottish newspapers from 1903 were discovered insulating the walls. Gavin Duncan raised Hereford cattle, horses and turkeys. The east side of the river was part of the Wind River Indian Reservation until 1906 when an act of Congress allowed the government to purchase the land and open it up for settlement. In the late 1930’s the President gave unclaimed land back to the tribes, but controversy remain regarding the legality of this move.
In the early days there were no cars in the valley and going to town was a major undertaking.
An old picture of a homestead cabin built on the ranch by the original Scottish settlers.
Current Homestead cabin
Raising turkeys was one way of making ends meet on the Bitterroot. The building in the background is now our shop and the barn extends behind it towards the mountains.
There was much remodeling in the early years and cabins were either moved in or built to accommodate guests.
Cedar, Cottonwood and Spruce were outbuildings, originally located near the vegetable garden, which has been producing for nearly 70 years. The Riverside cabin was used by former owners to to rear chinchillas. Studio was a chicken house by the river; it was moved to its present location and was Bayard’s office in the early days of Equitours before being converted to a small guest cabin with an unbeatable view. Juniper was constructed in 1972 by Bayard’s cousin, Fran Fox, who had helped find the ranch and was the manager while Bayard extricated himself from business interests in the Solomon Islands. Aspen was originally located up Bear Creek at the old Dennison Ranch and was moved to the Bitterroot in 1975. Of interest are the hand hewn logs reflecting the tie hack heritage of the area. Corral was transported from Togwotee Lodge in the late 1970s and renovated for guests in 1992. Pine and Sage were constructed on the ranch in the 1980s. The last cabin to arrive was Willow, which was moved in from Pinedale in the 1990s.
As the horse herd grew it became necessary to find a place to winter them since trucking in hay and access to sufficient water was difficult and expensive in this area up against the mountains. A farm was purchased at a lower altitude near Riverton and we then moved into cattle ranching after being allocated a summer grazing permit by the Forest Service. This fits in well with the guest operation and leads to a more well rounded and traditional experience. Richard and Hadley are based at the farm in the winter and join Bayard and Mel at the original ranch during the summer months.
