The isolated location of Judith Landing State Park provides a unique sense of history.
The park is a place where visitors can truly feel they have gone back in time. In a state known for its wide-open spaces, it's among the parts of Montana that most have never seen.
On Friday, the Montana State Parks Foundation approved the spot, located about 50 miles north of Lewistown, as Montana's newest state park. This hidden gem is 109 acres, situated at the confluence of the Judith and Missouri rivers.
"It is one of the most untold stories of Montana history," said Megan Buecking of the Montana State Parks Foundation.
That story stretches back centuries.
In the early 1700s, the Blackfeet Indians roamed this land, camping and hunting in the area. In 1805, Lewis and Clark camped nearby during their expedition to find a route to the Pacific Ocean. In 1854, one of the first dinosaur fossils discovered in North America was unearthed here, around the same time that steamboats were navigating the Missouri River.
The Missouri River widens at this site, allowing cottonwood trees to flourish.
The river's resources were essential for steamships traveling upriver.
In 1866, the military established Camp Cooke, the first military post in what would become Montana.
That post would evolve into a community known as Judith Landing.
Brenna Moloney, a heritage specialist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, highlighted that an original post office building, a log structure, still stands at the site.
Visitors can also find an old blacksmith shop and a warehouse, once used for storing goods destined for upriver commerce.
The highlight of the property is the Norris Ranch, which still stands proudly today.
The 1901 ranch house belonged to what would become the infamous PN Cattle Ranch.
Moloney said that this was one of the earliest large ranches in Montana, making it a significant part of the state's ranching history.
Buecking pointed out that PN stands for Powers and Norris, the two ranchers who established this large ranch, which gained fame for its role in Montana's ranching legacy.
It later came into the possession of billionaire Whitney MacMillan, the former CEO of Cargill, who purchased it in the late 1990s before selling it to the American Prairie Reserve.
Although time has taken a toll on several buildings, they remain in relatively good shape, and the ranch is officially back in public hands, soon to become Montana’s 56th state park.
It's among the few state parks in central Montana, according to Buecking.
This preservation of history is meant for all to enjoy along the majestic banks of the Missouri River.
This site represents a convergence of multiple threads of Montana history.
Related: Montana parks board approves new state park on historic ranchland
