bozeman, montana
It’s not just a special place, it’s the essence of the last best place. It’s Montana at its finest. A valley surrounded by majestic mountains in all directions.
A playground of the outdoors with world renowned fly fishing rivers, pristine
hiking trails, superb skiing, and endless scenic vistas. It’s the modern old West with a rich history in agriculture, ranching and gold mines.
Downtown Bozeman offers the quaintness of a small town with boutique
shopping and top-shelf restaurants.
Just minutes from town is the Misty Creek Ranch. A jewel within a jewel.
Boasting nearly 1/2 mile of Cottonwood Creek, ponds, horse pastures, forest
and some of the best views of the Bridger Mountain Range and the Spanish
Peaks. A wildlife haven with a native elk herd that frequents the property,
along with deer, turkey, pheasants, ducks and geese.
If your dream is to own a piece of Montana’s scenic views, forested hillsides,
rolling pastures, open grasslands, bubbling creeks, and serene ponds - the
Misty Creek Ranch is not just a dream, it’s your new home.
About Misty Creek Ranch
We discovered Misty Creek Ranch when I was five years old. My father was an avid fly
fisherman. On one particular trip, we left our home in Boulder, Colorado, to drive to Alaska.
At one point, while in the Bozeman area, I remember my parents intently looking at a map,
but it was no use, we were lost. We noticed a small “for sale” sign off the side of the road,
which was nearly hidden in the tall grass. My father was intrigued by the beauty and majesty
of the area and called the number on the sign. The rest is history. We bought a ranch and I
was getting a pony!
The previous owners, the Herron family, had homesteaded part of our ranch and the other
parcels were purchased from the Northern Pacific Railroad. They were an industrious family.
Floyd Herron was one of the first people on this side of the Gallatin Valley to have electricity.
He had created his own power utilizing a water wheel. They were self-sufficient, grew their
own food, and sold what they produced. In fact, the barn still bears the name of a couple
of the milk cows who called it home and the Herron brand is forever stamped into the
concrete floor near the north door.
Our first winter was very special. I remember my dad being mesmerized as he watched ice
form in the creek when the temperatures dropped and seeing tiny crystals floating in the
air that created a mist and a pattern like shimmering diamonds over the water. My father
called it “Misty Creek.”
The creek, ditches and ponds were our recreation in all seasons. In the
summer we swam, fished, waded and floated. In the winter we tried ice skates, but preferred
Sorel boots and a rough and tumble game of hockey. I remember playing basketball in the
barn loft at 20 below zero, when it was so cold the ball refused to bounce and “traveling”
had to become part of the game. We spent many hours in the barn, my favorite spot on the
property, saddling my pony and chasing the mares and foals my mother raised.
After I completed college and met my wife, we moved back to Misty Creek Ranch and
embarked on a new adventure of making the ranch our home and creating new experiences
with our own children. We had many wonderful years watching them ride horses, swim and
skate on the ponds, fish for Rainbow, Brook and Brown trout in Cottonwood Creek and eat
hotdogs and chips down by the fire pit. We spent countless hours visiting the “Grandma
Tree,” a beautiful and massive old Douglas Fir on the property. The serenity of sitting on its
enormous roots was comforting and it became a hallowed, spiritual place for us to go with
questions about life. It’s where we learned to leave our problems and concerns in the forest
as we thought about what the world was like 1000 years ago. It’s where we learned about
the delicate balance between man and nature and how to be respectful of both.
Over the years I’ve learned many things about our place. Lots of people have come and
gone, and many changes have been made, but the land is still like I remember it as a wideeyed five year old kid. It’s now time for us to pass this amazing place on to another. Our only wish is that they enjoy and respect it as much as we have.
Shawn Moran