320 Guest Ranch Blog Archives | Page 3 of 3

8 01, 2021

Three Reasons for Visiting 320 Ranch in the New Year

Amber Brask2021-01-08T16:12:44+00:00320 Guest Ranch Blog, 320 Guest Ranch History, 320 lodging, 320 Ranch Sleigh Rides, McGills Restaurant & Saloon, Montana homesteading|

Happy New Year everyone! We really wanted to give you 320 reasons to visit 320 Guest Ranch this year. However, we decided that could end up being problematic for everyone in terms of time consumption. So, being that three’s a lucky number, we picked out these three reasons why we think 320 Ranch ought definitely be in your 2021 travel plans: An Escape to Simpler Times There are a few reasons why small towns cause big city visitors to feel as if, all of a sudden, life got a whole lot simpler. This is especially the case in southwest Montana. [...]

18 12, 2020

A Horse-Story in the Making

Amber Brask2020-12-18T19:41:00+00:00320 Guest Ranch Blog, 320 Guest Ranch History, 320 Ranch Sleigh Rides, Draft Horses, Percherons|

Being that it’s the season for sleigh rides at 320 Ranch, we thought we’d write up a little something about our Draft Horses. After all, without them, there would be no sleigh rides! So, credit must be given where credit is due. Lesser known than their Clydesdale cousins (most often referred to as the “Budweiser Horses”), our hearty horses are Percherons, a sub-breed of the Draft Horse family. This French breed is a rather mysterious one in terms of its origin. According to the International Museum of the Horse, the French kept scant records of this breed’s history. With the exception of [...]

7 12, 2020

In a Nutshell: A History of Homesteading in Montana

Amber Brask2020-12-07T21:29:19+00:00320 Guest Ranch Blog, 320 Guest Ranch History, 320 lodging, Caroline McGill, Montana homesteading|

In the midst of Civil War, the United States passed a little something called the Homestead Act. This statute was enacted to encourage settlement of the country’s newly obtained western territories, Montana included. It was by this act that Sam Wilson and his father were ever even able to claim the adjoining 160 acre parcels which bore the naissance of 320 Guest Ranch. Alongside them were thousands of fellow west-bound pioneers settling 160 acre claims of their own. These were brave men and women who came forth to answer this call to action set by Uncle Sam. These lands out west [...]

23 11, 2020

A Restaurant by Any Other Name Would Not Smell as Sweet

Amber Brask2020-11-23T21:15:43+00:00320 Guest Ranch Blog, 320 Guest Ranch History, Caroline McGill, McGills Restaurant & Saloon|

What makes 320 Guest Ranch something folks round here often call “uniquely Montana” is not just its setting. It is also the food. And, with the Thanksgiving holiday mere days away, visions of wholesome, delicious food are dancing in all of our heads. Our restaurant, McGill’s Dining Room & Saloon, not only serves up such wholesome deliciousness, but also honors the namesake of a true pioneer woman. That woman is Dr. Caroline McGill. And, not so long ago, we endeavored a rebranding of McGill’s Restaurant & Saloon so as to evoke in its name and atmosphere the important role Dr. McGill [...]

9 11, 2020

The Serenity of Shoulder Season at 320 Guest Ranch

Amber Brask2020-11-09T04:46:17+00:00320 Guest Ranch Blog, Caroline McGill, Fall Season, McGills Restaurant & Saloon|

It’s the time of year when the sun seeks to slumber as soundly as the now hibernating bears. Summer has gone. The first real snowfalls have blanketed Lone Peak to the point that locals have begun referring to the mountain by her longtime winter nickname, “Lady in White”. It is a peaceful time of year. Quiet and serene. This is Big Sky’s shoulder season – or, “off-season”. At 320 Guest Ranch, we welcome the shoulder season as a time to reboot, a time for rejuvenation and self-re-discovery. And, after a year like 2020, we can’t think of anything more important than accomplishing those [...]

26 10, 2020

From Garden to Table: A Montana Gardener’s Ponderings on Pumpkin

Amber Brask2020-10-26T17:00:39+00:00320 Guest Ranch Blog, Fall Food, Fall Season, Gardening, McGills Restaurant & Saloon, Pumpkin|

Have you ever wandered the aisles of a grocery store mesmerized by the myriad of on-brand, off-brand, and every other kind of brand of canned foods? This time of year had us pontificating on pumpkin – canned pumpkin, that is. How lucky we are to be able to take a can of already squished-up squash, and avoid the prep work involved in baking with fresh-from-the-garden pumpkins. However, such was not the case for our ancestral pioneering ranchers who originally settled our beloved Big Sky country. And, such is still not the case for avid Montana gardeners who maintain a pioneer-like practice of growing all [...]

12 10, 2020

From Then to Now: A Brief History of Us

Amber Brask2020-10-12T17:06:30+00:00320 Guest Ranch Blog, 320 Guest Ranch History, Caroline McGill, Columbus Day|

There are a lot of things we here at 320 Guest Ranch love about this country we call home. But, there happens to be one thing in particular we love best. That is the steadfast pride all Americans hold in this nation’s historical heritage. The people of the good ol’ US of A appreciate our founding history so much that we even take days like today, Columbus Day 2020, to commemorate it. Alongside today’s commemoration of national history, we also wanted to take a paragraph or two to venerate the 320 Ranch’s heritage which began over one-hundred years ago… It [...]

22 09, 2020

Amber Waves of Aspens on a Drive for Autumn Days

Amber Brask2020-09-22T17:54:17+00:00320 Guest Ranch Blog, Fall Colors in Montana, Fall Season|

Just around the corner from right out the 320 Ranch’s backdoor is the stuff of every leaf peeper’s dreams…aspens transitioning to fall hues. Here in southwest Montana, we get a short window between hot summer days and cold winter nights. However, the beauty of our fall window is nonetheless one to rival the season’s burning hues typically found in East Coast towns. And to enjoy it before our beautiful Big Sky country hides away under a blanket of snow, we have a scenic drive we’d like to encourage you and yours to get out and enjoy during this short yet picturesque [...]

7 09, 2020

Hats Off to the Hard Workers

Amber Brask2020-09-07T17:57:18+00:00320 Guest Ranch Blog, Labor Day|

It’s Labor Day 2020 – a day to commemorate the hardworking people who make each day at the 320 Guest Ranch run smoothly, as well as a day to tip our hats to the hardworking people of this great country. Labor Day was originally founded not for the purpose of backyard BBQ parties and street parades; instead, it was the labor movement of the late 19thcentury which made this three-day weekend a reality. During this time, the members of the American working class were fighting for their rights to more fair-minded labor laws and humane working hours. Thanks to them, [...]