In the early 1900s, J.B. Long pieced together several ranches west of Augusta to create the LF Ranch. The ranch was picturesque and pristine, much like it is today, encompassing famous Haystack Butte. Meriwether Lewis was enamored with the butte, referring to it as “Shisequaw” in his journal, about 100 years prior to the LF.

After several years of owning the LF J.B, Long hired Ballie Buck to start a cattle operation. Ballie was a Native American cowboy that was played an important role in the beginning of the Calgary Stampede and was an all-around outstanding hand. His good friend and famous Montana artist, Charlie Russell, said, “That’s one Indian that knows what the cow said to the calf”.

Aside from being a cowboy, Ballie Buck was a great storyteller and artist. Helen Parsons Neilson collected his stories and sketches to create “What the Cow Said to the Calf”. The book recalls much of the beginnings of the LF, which was a very traditional big outfit at the time. The ranch ran a branding wagon, cook, and a large remuda of horses which would be assigned to the cowboys to ride. Buck was a true cowboy and manager, roping the cowboys horses at the start of every branding season and doing everything horseback, even traveling to town.

Today, the original horse barn still stands with Ballie Buck’s signature on the door. We may have a few more buildings and pieces of equipment now, but we try to uphold the ranch’s core traditions and values. We do most cattle work horseback, not only because we like it that way, but because we don’t want to lose the romantic cowboy traditions that created such a rich ranching culture.