Rumors that started surfacing about two months ago were confirmed this past week in an Associated Press story in the Billings Gazette (http://bit.ly/1rLsDmu). The PN Ranch, whose history can be traced back to the early 1800's, had been purchased by the American Prairie Reserve (APR), adding an additional 47,000 acres to its patchwork of lands along the Missouri River, where supporters hope bison and other wildlife one day will roam freely.
The purchase of the PN Ranch is part of a privately funded effort by the APR to piece together a 3 million acre bison range. This latest property acquisition brings the current total number of deeded and leased acres owned by the private nonprofit to more than 353,000.
The property north of Winifred sprawls across rugged badlands and includes the remnants of the Montana Territory's first military outpost. It's almost wholly within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.
Its sale comes amid tensions with some in central Montana who see the organization's rapid expansion over the past decade as an encroachment on their way of life.
Terms were not disclosed. The ranch was listed for more than $20 million.
Northern Ag Note: Prior to the official announcement on May 6th, Hillary Parker, spokeswoman for the APR, had been paraphrased in a Billings Gazette article (http://bit.ly/24ChMK2) saying that the rumors that American Prairie Reserve had purchased the 48,500-acre PN Ranch in northern Fergus County, along the Missouri and Judith rivers, were not true, although she said the nonprofit is always looking for willing sellers. That statement was true in that they had not yet completed the sale of the ranch at that time.
Image from the Hall and Hall Sale listing
