Elegance and rugged western style have always been part of the mystique of Montana and the Bitterroot Valley. That tradition continues near Hamilton with the Stock Farm, a private development and golf course just east of town in the shadow of the Sapphire Mountains.

The Stock Farm began development in the mid 1990s. It is a venture by investment mogul, Charles Schwab and is home to rustic cabin sites, elegant Victorian homes and several small ranches.  It is also sports a world class Tom Fazio designed 18-hole golf course.

The development draws its name from Marcus Daly’s famed ranch that was established in 1888 near Hamilton. The 22,000-acre ranch was called the Bitter Root Stock Farm and Daly used it as a summer home and training facility for his thoroughbred racing horses.

In his prime, Daly was one of the wealthiest men in the world. To him, the Bitterroot Valley represented beauty, majesty and peacefulness. These traits are touted at the Stock Farm.

The narrow paved road that traces through the sparse development cuts across ranch land, and the dry sparse sagebrush and pine uplands of the Sapphire Mountain foothills. On the way to the clubhouse, a traveler will passes several Victorian and western style ranch houses and pastures with lolling cattle or frolicking horses.

The main clubhouse sits at the top of a ridge overlooking Hamilton with spectacular views of the valley to the north and the south.

The development of the Stock Farm has brought many seasonal residents to the Bitterroot Valley, who have developed a special fondness for the communities here. That fondness is seen through The Greater Ravalli Foundation, a charitable organization started by the Stock Farm in 2002. Their goal is to “fill in the gaps of the crumbling financial situation of public education in the Bitterroot Valley.”

Their priorities are: Education, including science labs, computers and books; Scholarships for all levels of ability; sustenance in the form of lunches, clothing, jackets and boots; and capital improvements.

Last fall, The Greater Ravalli Foundation began Project Bitterroot. This ambitious effort is working to raise $2 million in a year to establish a scholarship endowment that will allow them to provide 20 graduating seniors in the Bitterroot Valley a $4,000 a year scholarship to attend a Montana higher education institution.

For more information on the Stock Farm or The Greater Ravalli Foundation, contact Matt Guzik at 375-1887

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