Caroline Lockhart Ranch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Caroline Lockhart Ranch
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Lockhart ranch house
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 Location in Montana
Location in the United States
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| Location | Davis Creek, 70 mi. S of Hardin, Dead Hill, Montana |
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| Area | 7 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Built by | Caroline Lockhart |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000155 |
| Added to NRHP | November 3, 1989 |
The Caroline Lockhart Ranch is a special historic place in Montana. It was founded in 1926 by an amazing woman named Caroline Lockhart. She bought a piece of land, about 160 acres, near the Pryor Mountains. Caroline was in her fifties at the time.
Over the years, Caroline Lockhart made her ranch much bigger. She added more land, buildings, and rights to let her animals graze. Eventually, the ranch grew to cover about 7,000 acres! This area, called Dryhead Country, is one of the most remote places in Montana.
Caroline Cameron Lockhart was born in Illinois in 1871. She grew up on a ranch in Kansas. Later, she became a writer and reporter in Philadelphia and Boston. She was known for her investigative reporting, which means she looked deeply into stories. In 1904, Caroline moved to Cody, Wyoming. There, she wrote novels and screenplays. She also worked for the Denver Post newspaper. In 1921, she bought the local newspaper, the Park County Enterprise. She changed its name to the Cody Enterprise. She sold the newspaper in 1925.
In 1926, Caroline bought the ranch. She lived there during the summers and spent winters in Cody. As she got older and her health declined, she moved back to Cody in 1950. She sold the ranch that same year.
Who Owned the Ranch Next?
In 1955, the Tippetts family bought the ranch from Caroline Lockhart. They were mainly interested in the land rights. Sadly, the buildings were left to fall apart.
In 1980, the National Park Service took over the property. It became part of the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. The Park Service has since restored the buildings. They are important examples of how ranches were built and used in that area long ago.
What Does the Ranch Look Like?
Caroline Lockhart built the main ranch house with help from workers. She added to an older cabin that was already there. The house was made of logs and stone, with a sod roof. It was finished around 1938 and had twelve rooms.
Other buildings at the ranch included a guest cabin for visitors. There was also a bunkhouse, which was a place for workers to sleep, and a storehouse. A spring house kept things cool, and there were stables and barns for animals.
The Caroline Lockhart Ranch was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 3, 1989. This means it's recognized as an important historical site. Today, the main part of the property is about 6 acres.
