Marias River Sporting Ranch

INTRODUCTION
On the west bank of the
Marias River sits one
of Montana’s most
diverse recreational
and agricultural
properties. Comprised of 3,172±
total acres, with 1,478± deeded, and
almost 4 miles of river frontage,
Marias River Sporting Ranch is
ideal for upland bird, big-game,
and waterfowl hunters, anglers,
stockmen, equestrians, and lovers
of the outdoors. With a lush,
cottonwood-lined river bottom, and
rugged breaks rising to a vast bench
of native grass or small grain, this
landscape is awe-inspiring.
Imagine yourself canoeing, exploring
the draws and breaks by horse or
ATV, testing the pools and runs
looking for big bass, catfish, or
walleye; searching for upland birds;
or hunting for a big buck with family
or close friends.
The ranch is in a great location for
those looking for a small livestock
or farming operation. Properties
like Marias River Sporting Ranch are
rarely on the market and represent
a great opportunity for buyers who
love the Rocky Mountain West.
— 3 —

TABLE OF CONTENTS
LOCATION & ACCESS 1
PHYSICAL & OPERATIONAL DESCRIPTION 3
HUNTING & FISHING 6
AREA HISTORY 7
IMPROVEMENTS 9
UTILITIES & SERVICES 9
REAL ESTATE TAXES 9
MINERAL RIGHTS 9
WATER RIGHTS 11
ELEVATION & CLIMATE 12
SUMMARY STATEMENT 13
OFFERING PRICE & CONDITIONS OF SALE 14
RANCH MAPS 15-17
CONTACT INFORMATION 19

LOCATION & ACCESS
M
arias River Sporting Ranch is located in Chouteau County
in North Central Montana. The small river town of Loma
is five miles to the south down Lower Marias River Road,
and Fort Benton is just off Highway 87, about 20 minutes
to the southeast.
Montana’s third largest city, Great Falls, is just an hour to the west and
offers daily commercial air service, first-class medical care, shopping,
fine dining, and many musical and cultural activities. Private and public
golf courses can be found in Great Falls, as well as tennis, swimming, and
indoor and outdoor riding arenas.
North Central Montana is synonymous with wide-open big country,
contrasting landscapes, great recreational opportunities, friendly folks,
and agriculture. Locally known as the “Golden Triangle,” this region
fosters some of the finest soils in the county and yields excellent crops
of wheat, barley, oat, and canola. Ranching is big business with the area
being home to some of the finest registered and commercial cattle and
sheep operations anywhere.
Approximate driving distance to area towns and cities from the ranch are
as follows:
Loma
Fort Benton
Great Falls
Glacier National Park
5 miles
18 miles
57 miles
223 miles

PHYSICAL & OPERATIONAL DESCRIPTION
With a total of 3,172± acres, Marias River Sporting Ranch
consists of 1,478± deeded acres, 369± of which are farmed
or have a history of being farmed or hayed, and 1,128±
acres of native pasture. The ranch also boasts 1,694±
acres of leased land, including 1,480± BLM lease and
214± acres of State of Montana lease. The property benefits from multiple
water rights, including irrigation, stock, and domestic.
The acreage classifications for the estate are generally described as follows:
3,172± Total Acres
1,478± Deeded Acres
369± Farmed and/or Hay Fields
1,128± Native Pasture
1,694± Leased Acres
1,480± BLM Lease
214± State Lease
— 3 —

— 4 —

HUNTING & FISHING
BIRDS & WATERFOWL
Pheasants are plentiful along the river
bottom, in the sage, grass breaks, and hills
on the ranch while Hungarian partridge
and sharp-tail grouse prefer the upper
benches and draws. Sage grouse are
occasionally seen on the ranch. Food
plots, permanent nesting cover, and other
habitat improvements would enhance bird
numbers on the property.
BIG GAME
Mule and whitetail deer are constant
residents of the ranch with pronghorn
antelope being commonly seen. Numbers
and trophy-quality deer are both good
to excellent. The ranch is in Region 400,
which is managed for trophy-quality
better than most of the state by closing
the season just before the rut.
FISHING
The Marias River is a true “sleeper fishery”
that most serious anglers in Montana have
never seen, let alone fished.
With the next bridge upstream of the
ranch 50± miles away, access to the Marias
River is hard to come by, making it one of
the most private and lightly used rivers in
the country. There is good trout fishing
in the 10 or so miles down from Tiber
Dam, which creates Lake Elwell, about
70 miles upstream from the ranch. The
few who fish the Marias River know it as
one of the finest multi-species fisheries in
the county. Bring your fly rod, spinning,
or bait casting gear; the river has a great
population of smallmouth bass, walleye,
sauger, northern pike, catfish, and some
paddlefish and shovelnose sturgeon.
— 6 —

F
ort Benton was once the largest city in the territory and
served as the innermost port for steamboats and other river
traffic traveling up the Missouri River. Founded in 1846 as a
military and fur trading post, Fort Benton was home to, or
frequented by trappers, mountain men, prospectors, traders,
Indians, and sodbusters. Fort Benton ranks as one of the most authentic
and charming small cities in the state and serves as the jumping-off point
to the 150-mile stretch of the Missouri River, which is now designated as
“Wild and Scenic” by the Secretary of the Interior.
AREA HISTORY
— 7 —
This special landscape has remained mostly unchanged from when the
Lewis and Clark expedition passed through in 1805. Lewis and Clark and
the Corps of Discovery spent several days exploring the lower Marias and
almost certainly spent time on the Marias River Sporting Ranch. The Marias
River, flowing approximately 210 miles to its confluence with the Missouri
River, originates in Glacier National Park and is formed where Cut Bank
Creek meets the Two Medicine River. The river was named for a cousin of
Meriwether Lewis, Maria Wood.

— 8 —

IMPROVEMENTS
There is an older farmstead on the
upstream end of the ranch, most likely
not suitable for living quarters but in a
beautiful location for a replacement home.
Electric service reaches multiple parts of
the ranch, including the older, remote
farmstead. There are also several great
locations for a home or cabin on other
areas of the ranch. Fences and ranch
roads are mostly in good condition.
UTILITIES & SERVICES
Electricity is provided by Hill Country
Electric Cooperative.
Internet can be provided by Triangle
or Sprectrum, and Vontage can supply
landline service.
Good cellular coverage in most locations
throughout the ranch is available via AT&T
and Verizon and can be enhanced with a
booster.
REAL ESTATE TAXES
The real estate taxes for 2023 were approximately $2,833.
MINERAL RIGHTS
The seller will convey with the ranch 100%
of whatever mineral, oil, gas, geo-thermal,
hydrocarbon, solar, wind, and gravel
rights it owns, subject to reservations
by previous owners. The seller makes
no representation as to the quantity or
quality of any mineral or other subsurface
rights appurtenant to the property.
— 9 —

— 10 —

WATER RIGHTS
According to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s Water Rights Division, the ranch owns 8 water rights,
including 2 irrigation rights, 1 domestic right, and 5 stock rights. Please reach out to the listing brokers for detailed information.
All water rights in Montana are subject to eventual re-adjudication by the Montana Water Court and, as a result of that process, may be
changed as to validity, amount, priority date, place of use and other such changes as the Court determines. The seller has made all the
filings currently required and will transfer the water rights as they currently stand with no warranty of future viability.
All water rights appurtenant to and for the benefit of the ranch will be conveyed to the buyer at closing of a sale.
— 11 —

ELEVATION & CLIMATE
T
he property sits at about 2,700 feet in elevation and enjoys a
mild climate. Temperatures in summer months average in the
low 80s and the mid-30s in winter. Snowfall is light in the winter
and one can expect some sunshine well over 300 days a year.
— 12 —
The ranch’s topography begins as flat to gently rolling grassland near the
river bottom and transitions into steep and sometimes rugged breaks
as it rises to the farmed bench. Many large limestone cliffs, breaks, and
outcroppings on the ranch and in the area offer interesting and challenging
hiking and climbing.

SUMMARY STATEMENT
M
arias River Sporting Ranch is a rare and outstanding
property representing the best of what North Central
Montana has to offer. Seclusion, privacy, vast views, great
home sites, and outstanding recreational opportunities
are all readily available. You will love spending time on the ranch hunting,
fishing, riding, and hiking. This is an exceptional opportunity to be a part
of the rich western history of this ranch.
— 13 —

OFFERING PRICE & CONDITIONS OF SALE
Marias River Sporting Ranch, as previously described herein, is offered at $3,090,000.00. The Conditions of Sale are as follows:
1. All offers to purchase, or letters of intent must be in writing and
accompanied by earnest money made payable to the escrow account
of Chouteau County Abstract in Fort Benton, MT.
2. Earnest money deposits will be placed in escrow with Chouteau County
Abstract in Fort Benton, MT.
3. All Prospective Buyers must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the
Listing Agent the financial capability to purchase the estate prior to
scheduling a personal tour of the property.
4. The Sellers will provide and pay for a standard owner’s title insurance
policy. Title to the real property will be conveyed by a warranty deed.
5. All the appurtenant water rights controlled by the property will be
transferred to the Buyer at Closing.
6. The Sellers will convey to the Buyer all mineral rights they own, subject
to reservations by previous owners.
7. Buyers’ Brokers are welcome and invited to contact Craig Janssen or
Jack McInerney with Swan Land Company for additional information
and to set up a private tour of the property.
The Sellers reserve the right to effect a tax-deferred exchange for other real property in accordance with provisions in Section 1031 of the
Internal Revenue Code. The Buyer will not be required to incur any additional expenses nor to step into the chain of title on any property which
the Sellers may acquire.
The Seller is making known to all potential purchasers that there may be variations between the property lines and the location of the existing
fence boundary lines on Marias River Sporting Ranch. The Seller makes no warranties with regard to the location of the fence lines in relationship
to the property lines, nor does the Seller make any warranties or representations with regard to specific acreage within the fenced property lines.
The Seller is selling Marias River Sporting Ranch in an “as is” condition which includes the location of the fences as they now exist. Boundaries
shown on any accompanying maps are approximate. The maps are not to scale and are for orientation purposes only. The accuracy of the maps
and information portrayed thereon is not guaranteed nor warranted.
To learn more and view additional images and property video,
visit https://www.swanlandco.com/properties/marias-river-sporting-ranch/.
— 14 —

— 15 —
MARIAS RIVER
SPORTING
RANCH

— 16 —

— 17 —

CONTACT INFORMATION
Swan Land Company has been authorized by the Seller to act as their
Exclusive Real Estate Broker on the sale of Marias River Sporting Ranch.
Since 2002, we have focused on the brokerage of significant ranches,
farms, and recreational properties throughout the Rocky Mountain West.
This Offering is based on information believed to be correct; however,
it is subject to errors, omissions, prior sale, and change or withdrawal
without notice. Information contained herein has been provided by the
Sellers or obtained from other sources deemed reliable. The Agent does
not, however, guarantee accuracy and recommends that any Prospective
Buyer conduct an independent investigation.
A 48-hour notice is requested to make proper arrangements for an
inspection of Marias River Sporting Ranch.
JACK MCINERNEY
BROKER
406.220.1696
JACK@SWANLANDCO.COM
SWAN LAND COMPANY
1185 NORTH 14TH AVENUE – SUITE ONE
BOZEMAN, MONTANA 59715
OFFICE 406.522.7342 | TOLL FREE 866.999.7342
WWW.SWANLANDCO.COM
CRAIG JANSSEN
BROKER
406.580.5830
CRAIG@SWANLANDCO.COM
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO INSPECT THE
PROPERTY, PLEASE CALL JACK OR CRAIG.
PROUDLY SERVING
MONTANA WYOMING COLORADO NEBRASKA UTAH IDAHO