Near Deer Lodge in Powell County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Beaverslide Haystacker

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022

1. Beaverslide Haystacker Marker

Captions: (right side, top to bottom) Jenkins haystacker; Overshot haystack; Swinging haystack.

Inscription. The fields around you provide hay for the herd through the winter when grasses are dormant and covered with snow. With the transition from open range to modern ranching, growing hay became a necessity.
Loose hay stacks were the first method of preserving hay. The Beaverslide you can see in the field (not this day) is still used throughout southwest Montana, It was patented in 1910 by ranchers in the Big Hole Valley.
Hay in loose stacks is less processed than baled hay. With the rounded top, only a small amount of hay is exposed to the elements, protecting the inside from moisture. There are approximately 20 tons of hay in a stack, which is equivalent to 20 large round or large square bales.

Erected by National Parks Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Man-Made Features.

Location. 46° 24.436′ N, 112° 44.312′ W. Marker is near Deer Lodge, Montana, in Powell County. It can be reached from North Main Street (Business Interstate 90) near Warren Lane, on the left when traveling north. The Grant-Kohrs Ranch National

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Historic Site parking lot is on the left side of North Main Street, just north of Deer Lodge. From there, one must walk to the ranch buildings. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 266 Warren Lane, Deer Lodge MT 59722, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically outhwest Montana, in Gold West Country, in Mining Country. 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 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 walking distance of this marker: Two Immigrants Shared an American Dream (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Good Fences Make Bad Neighbors? (about 300 feet away); Equal in the Saddle (about 400 feet away); Winter of 1886 (about 400 feet away); Vaquero vs. Cowboy (about 400 feet away); Home on the Range (about 500 feet away); From Range to Market (about 500 feet away); "...but of lasting peace, let them kill, skin and sell until the buffaloes are exterminated.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022

2. Beaverslide Haystacker Marker

(about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Deer Lodge.

Also see . . .
1. Beaverslide - Wikipedia. The beaverslide consists of a frame supporting an inclined plane up which a load of hay is pushed to a height of about 30 feet (9 m), before dropping through a large gap.... It was invented in the early 1900s and was first called the Beaverhead County Slide Stacker after its place of origin, the Big Hole Valley in Beaverhead County, Montana. The name was quickly shortened to "beaverslide." (Submitted on November 11, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

2. Beaver Slide, Grant-Kohrs Ranch - YouTube. Video of the Beaverslide in use. (Submitted on November 11, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)

Beaverslide Haystacker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Billings Gazette

3. Beaverslide Haystacker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 589 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 11, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.