Homesteading in Big Sky in about 1906
Members of the Crail family
(l-r) Lilian Crail (on horse), Augustus Franklin Crail, Sallie Creek Crail, Sallie's father, Abraham Creek (seated)
Members of the Crail family
(l-r) Lilian Crail (on horse), Augustus Franklin Crail, Sallie Creek Crail, Sallie's father, Abraham Creek (seated)
Established as a homestead by Augustus Franklin Crail starting in 1902, and occupied by Crail family members for nearly 50 years, the Historic Crail Ranch remains as a tangible reminder of the life of the earliest settlers in the Big Sky area.
The Big Sky area and the Gallatin Canyon were first explored by nomadic tribes such as the Shoshone tribal band known as the "Sheepeaters," who made the Yellowstone Basin and Gallatin Canyon their home.
Beginning in the late 18th century Spanish, French and British trappers left their mark on the area with place names like Spanish Peaks and Yellowstone (from the French roche jaune).
After the establishment of Yellowstone Park in 1871 and the coming of the railroads to the Bozeman area in the 1880s, the first roads were cut up into the Gallatin Canyon to facilitate logging of pine trees for railroad ties.
By the 1880s, ranchers began moving herds of sheep, cattle and horses into the meadows in what are now Big Sky, 320 Ranch, Taylor Fork, Daily Creek, and Black Butte drainages. President Theodore Roosevelt, recognizing the value of preserving wild lands, set up the Gallatin National Forest in the Canyon, carefully leaving flat meadow lands, including much of what is now the Big Sky Meadow Village area, available for homesteading.
By the late 1890s, under the provisions of the Homestead Act, a few ranchers had begun the process of building cabins and establishing 160-acre homesteads in the Big Sky area. Augustus Crail was one of those pioneers.
Note: Material on the early history of Gallatin Canyon is from Montana's Gallatin Canyon: A Gem in the Treasure State, by Janet Cronin and Dorothy Vick. 1992.
The Big Sky area and the Gallatin Canyon were first explored by nomadic tribes such as the Shoshone tribal band known as the "Sheepeaters," who made the Yellowstone Basin and Gallatin Canyon their home.
Beginning in the late 18th century Spanish, French and British trappers left their mark on the area with place names like Spanish Peaks and Yellowstone (from the French roche jaune).
After the establishment of Yellowstone Park in 1871 and the coming of the railroads to the Bozeman area in the 1880s, the first roads were cut up into the Gallatin Canyon to facilitate logging of pine trees for railroad ties.
By the 1880s, ranchers began moving herds of sheep, cattle and horses into the meadows in what are now Big Sky, 320 Ranch, Taylor Fork, Daily Creek, and Black Butte drainages. President Theodore Roosevelt, recognizing the value of preserving wild lands, set up the Gallatin National Forest in the Canyon, carefully leaving flat meadow lands, including much of what is now the Big Sky Meadow Village area, available for homesteading.
By the late 1890s, under the provisions of the Homestead Act, a few ranchers had begun the process of building cabins and establishing 160-acre homesteads in the Big Sky area. Augustus Crail was one of those pioneers.
Note: Material on the early history of Gallatin Canyon is from Montana's Gallatin Canyon: A Gem in the Treasure State, by Janet Cronin and Dorothy Vick. 1992.
Publications on the History of
Historic Crail Ranch
Historic Crail Ranch
A Timeline History of Crail Ranch
(3 pages, no illustrations)
Prepared by Historic Crail Ranch Conservators
Traces the history of the Crail Ranch from the birth of Augustus Crail in 1842 to the opening of the Ranch to visitors in 2001.
(3 pages, no illustrations)
Prepared by Historic Crail Ranch Conservators
Traces the history of the Crail Ranch from the birth of Augustus Crail in 1842 to the opening of the Ranch to visitors in 2001.
Augustus Crail and his Family
(6 pages, illustrated)
Prepared by Historic Crail Ranch Conservators
Brief biographies of the original homestead family, including Augustus Franklin Crail, his wife Sallie, and their children Eugene, Emmett, and Lilian.
(6 pages, illustrated)
Prepared by Historic Crail Ranch Conservators
Brief biographies of the original homestead family, including Augustus Franklin Crail, his wife Sallie, and their children Eugene, Emmett, and Lilian.
Crail Ranch Buildings
(5 pages, illustrated)
Prepared by Historic Crail Ranch Conservators
In its heydays in the 1920s and 1930s, Crail Ranch boasted the original small cabin and the two-story main cabin, plus a variety of barns and out buildings -- even a sawmill.
(5 pages, illustrated)
Prepared by Historic Crail Ranch Conservators
In its heydays in the 1920s and 1930s, Crail Ranch boasted the original small cabin and the two-story main cabin, plus a variety of barns and out buildings -- even a sawmill.
Open to visitors
July - August
Saturdays & Sundays
12 noon - 3:00 PM
FREE TOURS
Contact us for more information
July - August
Saturdays & Sundays
12 noon - 3:00 PM
FREE TOURS
Contact us for more information
Available for download here
