A huge Montana nature reserve added a 47,000-acre historic ranch to its patchwork of lands along the Missouri River on Friday, a significant step in a privately funded effort to stitch together a Connecticut-sized park where bison would replace livestock and cattle fences give way to open range.
The PN Ranch north of Winifred sprawls across rugged badlands, tall grass prairie and cottonwood-filled valleys. It’s almost wholly within the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument.
It includes the remnants of the Montana Territory’s first military post, Camp Cooke, and was reportedly a rendezvous point for American Indian tribes on the Great Plains. It was purchased by the American Prairie Reserve.
“Over time the goal is an all-wildlife, public access situation,” said Sean Gerrity, president of the Bozeman-based reserve. “People will come and the first thing they will notice is ‘Welcome’ signs instead of ‘Keep Out’ signs. They will notice fences down and a distinct openness to the landscape, unfettered by fences, power lines, power poles.”
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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