Hi everyone, its Diana with another adventure as “Seen through my eyes”. So sit back and relax. Let me tell you about a place I recently visited called Montana – Big Sky Country.
As I learned early on in my trip, Native Americans were the first inhabitants in the area. The Lewis and Clark Expeditions of 1804 – 1806 were the first white explorers to cross and chart what was soon to be Montana. In May of 1864, Montana became our 41st state, which was also about the same time gold was discovered in the region.
The Sioux and Cheyenne were victorious in 1876 at the Battle of Little Bighorn and the Big Hole Basin. However, in 1877 the Indians could not hold out against the United States Army. They eventually had to surrender to a better equipped opponent.
Miners weren’t the only earlier settlers to Montana. Cattle ranchers began to spread throughout the western valleys in the early 1860’s. By the late 1870’s everyone started taking advantage of free public-domain land.
Big Timber city sits in a valley formed by the Boulder and Yellowstone Rivers. The rolling meadows and plains meet the Mountains of the Absaroka-Beartooth Ranges. The elevation for this historic town is 4,091 feet above sea level and has an estimated population of approximately 1650. Big Timber is the county seat for Sweet Grass.
McLeod Street (pictured upper – left) is where you’ll find unique clothing boutiques, wonderful quilting and craft shops, and the 19th century Grand Hotel. Big Timber City still has that old time western feeling and simple charm.
The drive to the dude ranch, “Seen through my eyes” has me driving down a rutted dirt road and through an open grassy field. The “Crazy Mountains” as they are called, stretch before me and run north to west. 
There are several theories to how the Crazy Mountains came into their name. One story is told that the Indians noticed that if they let their horses graze in the pasture while hunting, they would become “loco” or “crazy”.
The Crow Indians would call them “Mad Mountains” because they could not tell if the weather was going to be fair or sunny. The winds that blow down through the canyons are very unpredictable.
After an hour of driving through open plains and grassy valleys, I’ve arrived at the Sweet Grass Ranch. I have been so looking forward to this experience. I am finally going to live one of my dreams.
The hand built log cabin will be my bunk house for at least a month. The Ranch is located at the base of the Crazy Mountains. What is Sweet Grass you ask? It is surprisingly a fragrant grass with stems up to two feet tall and reddish at the base. It prefers to grow in open meadows and bogs that remain undisturbed. The roads and landscape that surround the ranch are lined with this wavering grass.
Evidence of the old, old west can be easily “Seen through my eyes”. 
There are several memorable relics that rest along the countryside. The small building – pictured right, seems to be dated sometime around the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. The slopping tower could have housed a bell to either alert children that classes were about to begin, or ringing in church goers.
Can you imagine hooking up your horse(s) and sitting on a metal seat to plow your acres of land for hours? That is how they farmed before engines were invented. The higher prairies of Montana are filled with homesteads that have various antiques scattered around their property. Getting off the main highway and state roads to explore the back country is always my suggestion to other 
fellow travelers.
The mostly dirt back roads offer beautiful scenery that just can’t be seen from the highway. The streams and rivers are lush with trees and tall grasses lining their shores. Montana’s “Big Sky” meets the endless horizon with breathtaking landscapes that need to be experienced firsthand.
After thirty minutes of driving around on dirt roads and settling my thoughts, I finally pulled into the Sweet Grass Ranch. I was 
greeted by the dogs who seemed to be anxious in meeting their newest guest. I noticed the wranglers working with their guests on how to ride a horse.
The ranch was homesteaded by the Van Cleve family in the late 1800’s. The original ranch buildings are listed on Montana’s National 
Registry of Historic Places. The Sweet Grass Ranch is a six generation family owned legend. It combines a cattle operation and guest – dude ranch that offers an authentic western way of life.
In the early 1950’s the family bought the land and buildings from the Brannin family. Paul Van Cleve II ran the cattle operation as the family’s main enterprise for years. Later on parts of the land would become the Sweet Grass Ranch where people could come and stay.
In 1965 they turned over the guest portion of the ranch to their granddaughter Shelly Carroccia and her husband Bill. Seeing this Ranch, which is approximately six miles from the public road, is all so exciting to me. I couldn’t wait to share my adventure as “Seen through my eyes”!
I was blessed to be invited to have supper with the other guests and the family that owns this mountain paradise. The room’s atmosphere was warm and inviting. The sounds of everyone sharing their day’s riding experiences and the echoing of laughter, comforted me during my presence.
Sweet Grass offers many activities for all ages. You can enjoy horseback riding on acres of rolling meadows with the mountains as 
a backdrop. They offer fishing at the creek and/or alpine lakes that reside on the property. There are also plenty of beautiful hiking trails as well.
There is a special place in the main house where guests can sit with a book, play cards or shoot a game of pool and enjoy each others company. These shared 
rooms are fashioned with plenty of antiques and wildlife trophies. The atmosphere sets the tone for what is to come in the following days.
September just turned the corner and its time to start closing up the dude ranch. Just days before I have to leave, there was an overnight dusting of snow. It wasn’t much, however, it was the first hint that winter is on its way!
When the skies had cleared the next day, I had to transfer firewood from outside my cabin so we could board up the windows. Other task included shutting off the water and 
covering up furniture. I was doing all this while it was starting to get pretty chilly. Oh well, it is something you just have to do.
Walking up and down steps toting wood from one point to another in a wheelbarrow for several hours gave me an excuse for a well needed break. Time to kick up my Converse for a bit and admire my place of work. After my break, JD, the host for the Dude ranch and I, finished boarding up the windows and completed the other needed chores.
The following morning while I was packing to leave the ranch, I saw for the last time a breathtaking sunrise. Its beauty will be forever implanted in my mind. The wildlife (pictured below) seem to know that I was leaving and came by to bid me farewell.
It is time to call it an adventure and say goodbye to Sweet Grass Ranch and the great State of Montana.
“You can see what man made from the seat of an automobile. However, the best way to see what God made is from the back of a horse”. Written by, Charles M. Russell.
I have really enjoyed showing you, “Seen through my eyes” the spectacular scenery and what it is likes to experience a dude ranch. I am feeling so blessed to have been given this extraordinary opportunity. I’m actually thinking of going back one day as a guest to experience a cattle drive.
Author: Diana Blevins
Photography: Diana Blevins
Associate Editor: Maureen Scopel
Article Layout: Anthony Scopel
Technical Mastering & Support: Matt Kemper
Publisher: YMATD
Don’t be afraid to be spontaneous and take a chance. Don’t live on if’s! Follow your dreams. Love life, travel lots, be happy and most of all, have an abundance of laughter.
