Montana Town - Big Timber

Whether Clark’s Rivers Across, Dornix at the time of the old sawmill, or Big Timber when the railway left its own legacy, the area around the Boulder and Yellowstone rivers has always been characterized by enterprise and enduring beauty.

By 1895, Big Timber was the largest producer of wool in the United States, shipping more than five million pounds in just one year.

Sweet Grass County and Big Timber are today home to less than 4,000 residents, many of whom are attracted by the dual benefit of living in a place where small business is encouraged; and where one is daily rewarded with incredible vistas and landscapes unmatched for living and recreational opportunities. In Big Timber there is room for most every pursuit, whether it be a business that builds world-class golf courses or an afternoon of fishing on the Yellowstone River. The local business people seem to have a common bond and connection to each other, born of odd diversity and a distinct common ground. According to Philip Land, a local real estate broker, “People come here because they want to live here, not because they have to:” 

Though the Sweet Grass Chamber of Commerce boasts some 68 members, the true level of small business and entrepreneurship runs much deeper than the hardware store, restaurants, or salons of main street business. There are two custom rifle companies, a substantial honeybee enterprise, a forge operation for specialized iron work, a large, grass-fed beef ranch, a company that does customer survey work worldwide and many “stealth” businesses like that of Ron McAdams, who is a self-styled “business advisor,” working with a company in San Francisco.  “I live here because of lifestyle,” says Ron. “I’ve got a good one.” 

“Lifestyle,” is the common refrain among business owners in Big Timber, who seem to couple rugged, Western determinism with a strong desire to enjoy “the great outdoors” and fully appreciate the benefits of small town living. Any sense of isolation is readily buffered by the easy, one hour drive to the bustle of Bozeman or Billings, their cultural attractions and international airports. Not that Big Timber is lacking in any area. The Grand Hotel’s talented head chef, Amy Smith, has for 20 years served up some of the best dining in Montana, right in downtown Big Timber. She has prepared food for the likes of local residents Michael Keaton (a regular) and Tom Brokaw, and visitors like Jimmy Buffet, Robert Redford, Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, and retired Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, all of whom would likely respond “lifestyle” if asked why they now homestead or visit Sweet Grass County.

 An unexpected surprise, fine businesses like the Grand Hotel are what make Big Timber so special. Within shooting distance of each other, C. Sharpe Arms and Shiloh Rifles offer their worldwide clientele the finest quality in custom-made, single shot rifles. According to owner, John Schoffstall, custom rifles from C. Sharpe Arms have been in great demand since he set up shop in 1975. Both C. Sharps and Shiloh sell their product worldwide through both reputation and the Internet. Also in downtown Big Timber Custom Survey Solutions Inc. (CSSI) does world-class customer relationship work for the likes of McDonald’s, Compass, Motorola and Verizon…and 99% of its business comes from outside Montana. “We have had many long-term clients that kind of forget we are located in a small town,” says CSSI owner Tim Yuzeitis. “They will call and say, “Now where is Big Timber again?”

 Where, indeed. When the business and service are both of quality, there are no distance barriers in today’s world. Like Yuzeitis, Oregonian Jeff LaFlore, known locally as “The Beeman” runs a thriving hive business, harvesting 175,000 pounds annually of high grade honey. Down the road, the Indreland cattle operation produces some of the best grass-fed Angus beef in the country, and the Roe family is often off to places as far-flung as Whitefish or New Orleans where they excel at building and rehabbing Jack Nicklaus and other high-end golf courses.

 Businesses do “come and go” in Big Timber, as they do everywhere. Gone are many small town enterprises like the grocery and general stores of old, and newer businesses like Wheelsmith Fabrications, which was sold to a Milwaukee company in 2006. Barbara Van Cleve, an internationally accomplished photographer, whose works are sought after by collectors and museums, has seen these businesses come and go, though her own legacy, the nearby Lazy K ranch has been in her family since 1880. A lifetime of personal transition and of living “off and on” in Big Timber has given her a unique perspective of loss and gain, of a Big Timber where life and business flourish, born of both desire and necessity.

 Big Timber has often had fame rub up against it like a skittish horse. Both The River Runs Through It and The Horse Whisperer were filmed in the area, and the Discovery Channel has made much of life in the Boulder Valley. But such notoriety and prosperity is temporary and fleeting. What remains in the end is the deep and lasting beauty of the places; Sweet Grass County, the sky-bending beauty of the Beartooth-Absaroka and Crazy mountain ranges, the hypnotic draw of its rivers and streams…and the seemingly tireless enterprise of Big Timber and its area residents.

A quintessential Montana town, it is hard to imagine a better place to prosper…or to just be alive.