Welcome to Prairie White Cliffs Ranch

By editor

Virgelle, Fergus County, Montana

As I reflect upon the journey Meriwether Lewis undertook on the 31st of May, 1805, along the Missouri River, my mind conjures the vivid imagery he so eloquently captured in his journal. Floating past the White Cliffs, Lewis was struck by their grandeur, noting "The hills and river Clifts which we passed today exhibit a most romantic appearance...we see the remains or ruins of eligant buildings;...As we passed on it seemed as if those seens of visionary inchantment would never have and end;...so perfect indeed are those walls that I should have thought that nature had attempted here to rival the human art of masonry..." His impression reveals much about the cliffs’ imposing presence and the allure they held even for those first explorers.

The White Cliffs of the Missouri River rise in chalky, pale limestone bluffs--part of the Fort Union Formation, a geological structure dating back to the Paleocene epoch, roughly 60 million years ago. These cliffs are not mere rock outcroppings but are ancient sedimentary layers formed from the slow accumulation of marine and freshwater sediments long after the last great inland sea had retreated. Their chalky facades gleam in the sunlight, a beacon of natural artistry sculpted by eons of erosion and uplift. To witness them is to peer into deep time, to sense the ancient processes that shaped this land before human footsteps ever touched its soil.

For over two centuries, the White Cliffs have witnessed the slow passage of human endeavor. Lewis and Clark’s passage was but the opening chapter in a human narrative marked by transient footprints. Most settlers who encountered this terrain did so fleetingly, their steamboats drifting past toward more forgiving valleys further west. The climate here is uncommonly dry, the soil thin and challenging, and the Missouri’s meandering course unpredictable. Few found cause to linger, and even fewer could endure the rigors of this land for long.

Yet, amid this vast prairie, some hearts were drawn to stay. Not far from the river’s edge lie the remains of a stone house, its walls fashioned from hand-cut native limestone. This structure was the work of Jack Munro, a stone mason of some renown in the late 1800s. Munro’s craft was more than masonry; it was an art of endurance, fashioning permanence from the very stones that defied easy shaping. He supplemented his livelihood by rounding up wild horses, a vocation demanding both rugged determination and an intimate knowledge of the prairie’s rhythms. These horses were driven to Miles City, where they found new owners and new purposes, much like the river’s flow that carried aspirations downstream.

In 1900, the ranch saw new life under Gage Clark, a man who journeyed westward from New York with his wife and child to stake a claim upon this formidable land. Clark erected a five-room, two-story frame house within the river bottom--its remains still resting near the original site. His decision to settle here speaks to a resolve shared by many pioneers, a resolve to engage with the land’s stark beauty and to wrest sustenance from its soils. The Clark family’s presence marked a chapter of human perseverance amid the prairie’s vastness.

The Prairie White Cliffs Ranch today remains a rare vestige of a landscape largely unchanged since Lewis and Clark’s expedition. For four miles along the Missouri, the riverfront lands hold true to their natural state, preserved in a manner more faithful than almost any other in America. The expansive prairie above the Missouri, with its rolling grasslands and native flora, continues to sustain life much as it did two centuries ago. The dominant grasses--blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), needle-and-thread (Hesperostipa comata), and western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii)--wave in the wind, their roots anchoring the soil and their growth feeding the herds of grazing animals that have roamed here long before the settlers arrived.

The land’s productivity is not a mere happenstance but a result of complex ecological interactions. The semi-arid climate, with its sparse yet sufficient rainfall, supports a delicate balance where drought-resistant plants thrive. The native grasses have adapted to survive the periodic fires and grazing pressures that have shaped their evolution. In turn, these plants nourish sheep and cattle that have become part of the ranch’s economic foundation. The family who owns the ranch today has managed the land with an eye toward sustainable stewardship, ensuring that these ecological processes continue undisturbed.

Since acquiring the property in 1981, the present-day owners have engaged in dryland farming on the flat terraces above the river, cultivating wheat and barley crops suited to the region’s limited moisture. Yet, the greater part of the land remains devoted to grazing, honoring the prairie’s natural capacity to support ruminants. This balance between agriculture and preservation reflects an understanding that the land’s history is a living narrative--one that demands respect for its geological and ecological fabric.

Their efforts have been aided by a program known as Undaunted Stewardship, which encourages landowners to conserve historic sites and manage their properties in harmony with natural systems. This collaboration has helped maintain the integrity of the riverfront historic sites and the broader landscape, allowing visitors and residents alike to experience the land in a manner close to that of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The sense of timelessness here is palpable. Standing on the river’s edge, one can hear the faint rush of the Missouri’s waters, feel the sun’s warmth upon the chalky cliffs, and observe the subtle interplay of prairie grasses swaying in the breeze. It is a place where the vastness of geological time and the brevity of human endeavor meet. As Lewis noted, it seems as though the visions of enchantment offered by this landscape might never end.

This enduring scene calls to mind the words of another explorer and naturalist, John Wesley Powell, who once said, “The plains are the great open book for the study of the earth’s history.” Indeed, the Prairie White Cliffs Ranch is such a volume--its pages inscribed with the sedimentary layers of ancient seas, the marks of human hands, and the living pulse of prairie life. To engage with this land is to read deeply into the story of the American West, a story written in stone, soil, and sky.

See also

• Welcome to Prairie White Cliffs Ranch at Virgelle, Fergus County
• Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail at Fort Benton, Chouteau County
• The Mighty Missouri: Lifeblood of the Plains at Roy, Fergus County