The story of the 320 Guest Ranch begins in the early days of Montana dude ranch hospitality. In 1898, Sam Wilson homesteaded 160 acres along the Gallatin River. Two years later, his father, Clinton, claimed the adjoining 160 acres. The family started a year-round dude ranch on their property in 1907, naming it the Buffalo Horn Creek Resort. In 1911, a young doctor from Butte would set eyes on the property for the first time.
Dr. Caroline McGill packed her bags and moved from Missouri to Butte, Montana in 1910 to accept a pathologist position at the Murray Hospital. A year later, she would visit the Gallatin Canyon and the Buffalo Horn Creek Resort for the first time. McGill believed in the physical and mental healing abilities of the outdoors. In 1936, after many visits to the ranch, she offered to buy the Wilsons’ two 160-acre parcels. She renamed the property the 320 Guest Ranch.
Dr. McGill imagined the 320 as a place where visitors could rest and restore their bodies and minds. Dr. McGill, an avid collector of historical memorabilia, filled the guest rooms with antiques and trucked a Cadillac engine onto the property to bring electricity to the ranch, more than a decade before it would come to the rest of the Gallatin Canyon. When she retired from medicine in 1936, she moved to the ranch, living out her days in the Christmas Cabin, a cabin that the staff finished building for her on Christmas day. On January 4, 1959, at age 79, Dr. McGill passed away. In her will, she gave the Goodrich family the option to buy the ranch, which they did. They continued to manage it until 1987 when it was purchased by Dave Brask who still owns and operates the ranch with his family today.
Dr. McGill’s legacy lives on here at the ranch through the many antiques she brought to the property, the buildings that hold her memories and the land that rejuvenated her mind and body. But it also lives on elsewhere throughout our great state, including at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman which was co-founded by Dr. McGill and houses many of her artifacts. Over the years, she filled buildings at Montana State University with her treasured finds from across Montana.
In 1956, she turned the collection into a small museum housed in an old dairy on the MSU campus. The Museum of the Rockies later opened to the public in 1967, featuring McGill’s artifacts. An exhibit dedicated solely to Dr. McGill’s life opened at the museum in 1998. Part of her collection was donated to help restore nearby Virginia City and Nevada City.
Today, we continue to honor Dr. McGill’s spirit by introducing new generations of visitors to the 320 Guest Ranch and its ability to heal and delight through its natural surroundings, shared experiences and culinary creations.
At McGill’s Dining Room and Saloon, we pay tribute to those who came before us through our use of local fish, game, vegetables, mushrooms and other ingredients that we use to create pioneering dishes and drinks.
Seasonal culinary events like our chuckwagon BBQ, pig roast and winter sleigh ride, allow us the pleasure of combining our enjoyment of hospitality with sharing a delicious, authentic ranch-made meal with you. Join us and make new memories at the 320 Guest Ranch.
Just outside Yellowstone National Park, you’ll find McGill’s at the historic 320 Guest Ranch. With a menu inspired by the location’s pioneer spirit, join us for your next culinary outing.
about usWhether you are joining us for dinner in the dining room, drinks and bites in the saloon or attending one of our weekly events, we encourage you to soak in the spirit of this historic place.
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