A history lesson of Montana can be found along the banks of the Blackfoot River where the Lipson’s have chosen to build the resort. This region was shaped by the rising of mountains and the scouring of glaciers. The reaches of Glacial Lake Missoula extended up the Blackfoot River corridor, leaving behind shorelines on the hillsides and sediments in the valley. As the glaciers receded, the animals foraged on the fertile fields that covered the valleys and looked to the forested hillsides for shelter. Much of this history predates any human settlement and can only be inferred from the geological clues etched along the river. Originally known to the Native Americans as “Cokalahishkit,” (the river of the road to the buffalo), the Blackfoot River served as a travel corridor from the West to the fertile buffalo hunting grounds on what is now the Eastern Montana Plains. The travel corridor was not heavily used or well known until horses arriving from the Spanish herds in the south became part of the northern tribes’ culture. With horses, the lengthy journey along the Blackfoot became more profitable, allowing these tribes to return with abundant buffalo meat and hides. The opportunity to harvest the great buffalo herds also brought peril to the tribes of Western Montana. The powerful Blackfeet Nation of Eastern Montana also used the river road to reach the tribes of the West, bringing ambush and fear to the corridor. It was not until the fabled journey of Lewis and Clark that the Blackfoot River became part of written history. This river road was used in 1806 by Captain Meriwether Lewis on his return journey from the Pacific. Lewis, with a small party of nine men, had come to explore the Marias River and determine the northern reaches of the territory. He noted the abundance of beaver along the route, which inspired the fur traders to begin trapping beaver along the Blackfoot and its many small tributaries. As the West was opened for settlement, the Blackfoot River Valley saw many early entrepreneurs using it as the starting point for their endeavors. Fur trapping, agricultural development, mining, logging, railroads and recreation have all occurred on this land. In 1882, homesteader Henry Martin staked a placer gold claim on what is now part of the Paws Up Ranch. For a brief time, gold mining was the main economic influence of the area. A short hike up the hill from the Paws Up Ranch takes you to Garnet Ghost Town. Founded in the late 1800s, the town served the gold and silver mines of the surrounding mountains. Two world wars, declining gold prices and the major gold seams playing out finally led to the demise of this bustling town. By 1940, Garnet was deserted and stands today as one of the best preserved ghost towns in the West. In 1885 the Big Blackfoot Milling Company started full scale logging operations on future Paws Up land. Logs were floated downriver to be milled. The Big Blackfoot Milling Company was later purchased by the Anaconda Mining Company, whose mining operations had a constant need for timber. To more efficiently supply the ever-growing mines around Butte, the Anaconda Company built a rail line from the ranch to the mill at McNamara Landing, near present day Bonner. From here timber was sent to the large mining complex in Butte. Exploring the Paws Up property will reveal remnants of this old rail line. As the mining in Western Montana surged, so did the need for food—primarily beef. In the early 1900s, cattle ranching became an important part of Montana’s economy. Montana’s open range policies brought many cattle ranchers from the east to raise and sell beef to the mining towns. In 1908 Benjamin and Ollie Morris started the first commercial cattle ranch on the future Paws Up property. Since then a number of different individuals have sought to earn a living by raising livestock on the banks of the Blackfoot River including Dave and Nadine Lipson, current owners of the property.