Big Sky in Gallatin County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

The Historic Crail Ranch - South View

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 26, 2021

1. The Historic Crail Ranch - South View Marker

Photograph caption across the bottom, left to right: A horse-powered buck rake pushes harvested hay to one of the Crail's two drying barns.; Bears were frequent visitors to the Crail Ranch, where the foraging was easy.; David Breneman halts his horse near the ranch forge. His Aunt Annie adopted him and his sister Glen Louise in 1918 after their parents died of the Spanish influenza.; Lilian Crail relaxes with Annie Breneman near the sawmill. Annie was a long-time girlfriend and eventual wife of Emmett Crail, Lilian's brother. Annie, a 1907 physics and mathematics graduate of the Montana State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (now Montana State University), taught high school math in Bozeman and then Anaconda.

Inscription. The Crail Family amassed 960 acres of Basin (now called the Meadow) that stretched from below the national forest in the north across the Meadow to the South Fork and west to the foothills. This Sweetgrass Hills vantage point captures the expanse of the of the ranch, the building complex, and the hay meadows to the northwest.

Erected by Montana History Foundation & Gallatin Canyon Women's Club.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 45° 16.153′ N, 111° 17.732′ W. Marker is in Big Sky, Montana, in Gallatin County. It can be reached from Spotted Elk Road near Crail Ranch Drive, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2120 Spotted Elk Road, Big Sky MT 59716, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Yellowstone Country

and in Greater Bozeman.

It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the

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Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Historic Crail Ranch - West View (a few steps from this marker); Crail Ranch Buildings (a few steps from this marker); The Historic Crail Ranch - North View (a few steps from this marker); The Historic Crail Ranch - East View (a few steps from this marker); Welcome to the Historic Crail Ranch (within shouting distance of this marker); Crail Ranch (approx. ¼ mile away); B-K (B Bar K) Ranch (approx. 1½ miles away); Lone Mountain (approx. 2.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Big Sky.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 26, 2021

2. The Historic Crail Ranch - South View Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 23, 2022. It was originally submitted on February 23, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 187 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 23, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.