In 1885, the Big Blackfoot Milling Company started the first large-scale timber cutting operation at Sunset. The mill’s primary customers were the rapidly expanding mines that created an insatiable appetite for lumber. In 1898, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company took over the mill and formed the Big Blackfoot Railway to move timber from the outlying areas to the Blackfoot River. The main line of the railway ran from Greenough to McNamara’s Landing, which was located on the river about five miles north of the mill in Bonner. Today, remnants of old railway ties and track locations can still be seen throughout the Ranch.

In about 1915, a young man named Paul Greenough acquired four homesteads, and with the purchase of additional land, formed the first 3,800-acre ranch—then called Sunset Valley Ranch. Paul was the son of an affluent businessman, Thomas L. Greenough of Missoula, who made a fortune in mining and timber. A graduate of Andover, Paul did not follow in his father’s footsteps, but instead began his career in ranching. He was the only ranch owner to stock the spacious pastures at Greenough with sheep in addition to cattle and horses. Paul was a big man with a big heart, whose sense of humor was evident by the fact that each and every woolly white coat belonging to the Greenough flock of sheep sported a large, green “O” painted on its back.

In 1917, the one-room Sunset School was built and welcomed a grand total of six inquiring minds that year. The Ranch’s original “schoolhouse” was a log cabin constructed on the Martin Homestead. The new school was located nearby on Morris Ranch property and was later moved the short distance down Sunset Hill Road to its present location just outside Paws Up headquarters. The Anaconda Copper Mining (ACM) Company returned to Sunset in 1926 and 12 logging camps swung into action, producing millions of feet of lumber over the next eight years. By the end of that year, 20 railway cars of logs were being loaded daily at Sunset. Evidence of the ACM headquarters is still visible in the pastures behind the old working facility.

In July 1926, the Hartley General Store opened a post office next door to the current site of the Sunset School. Austin Hartley became the first postmaster and recommended that the post office be named Greenough in honor of Paul. In the coming years the Ranch itself and the surrounding area also became known as Greenough. Paul Greenough died of leukemia at the age of 41. However, nearly 100 years later, the Greenough name and history lives on.

Over the course of the next seven decades, the Ranch would host eight diverse and fascinating owners. The first owner, Paul Greenough, had never married, so upon his death, the Ranch became the property of the Greenough family trust. An uncle, John Epperson, took charge of the Ranch for the next 12 years until Don and Mary Hunter purchased 3,500 acres in 1939 and leased an additional 16,000 acres. Hunter’s Point, a landmark located in the middle of ranch, is named after Don. Don mysteriously fell to his death from a San Francisco hotel window in the early 1950s, and the property was then sold to Gibb and Grace Kreis in 1952. Gibb Kreis was a former car dealer, and he ran a successful commercial Hereford business on the Ranch for the next nine years. In 1961, a gentleman from California named William Duce bought the Greenough land. Herefords once again dotted the pastures. Duce had ties to Hollywood, and actors and actresses were known to frequent the Ranch, including the lovely Maureen O’Hara.

The Lindbergh Cattle Company took over the Ranch in 1965. Brothers Land and Jon Lindbergh, sons of the celebrated aviator, owned the property for the next 21 years, longer than any other owners. During this time, Land orchestrated the formation of the current boundaries of the Paws Up Ranch. He purchased the neighboring Morris Ranch (which added another 3,999 acres to the total deeded acreage), bought several smaller parcels along Nine Mile Prairie and was instrumental in a three-way land swap that brought the total deeded property to just over 10,000 acres. In 1986, the Lindbergh Cattle Company sold the property to Bill Moore of the Kelly Moore Paint Company headquartered in California. Missoula lawyer Bob Mullendore became the next Ranch owner in 1991. He formed the Greenough Cattle Company and was the first rancher to keep registered herds grazing at Greenough. Mullendore teamed up with environmentalists to control timber production and headed up a major conservation project to reroute a large section of Elk Creek in order to stop erosion.

The year 1997 heralded new owners, the Lipson family, who purchased the Ranch that had now expanded to 10,000 deeded acres and 27,000 leased acres. Arriving from Colorado, they brought with them a herd of superior horses, the desire to build a first-class Black Angus seed stock operation and their beloved ranch name. “Paws Up” was originally inspired by those friendly, wriggling dogs who greet visitors by putting their paws up in the air while their tails thump the floor a mile a minute. A member of the Lipson clan brought the name to life with the highly recognizable double paw logo.

The Morris Ranch House Major improvements to the land and structures began in 1998, including large-scale renovations of the Main House, the Diesel House (the original Bunkhouse), the Morris House, the Bull Barn, the Little Barn and several other residences. Brand new buildings were also added at the Ranch headquarters. Not exactly a “shack” by definition, the architecturally impressive, 7,000-square-foot Cook Shack was built using beautiful stone and timber. This spectacular facility houses the Ranch offices, an inviting dining hall and a comfy recreation room. It has an eye-catching, two-story turret with one of the best views of the Ranch on the property.

Another significant 7,000-square-foot building was constructed near the headquarters and comes complete with an appealing lounge area and a massive arena that seats up to 350 onlookers and features a removable polished wood dance floor. Three enormous plasma screens grace the walls of the arena. The space is perfect for seminars or viewing ultimate cowboy classics. Just imagine watching John Wayne driving big cattle or Clint Eastwood on these giant screens.

Paws Up also includes a world-class Saddle Club that was built with all the necessary facilities to train, breed and care for horses. The Paws Up staff combines years of experience and skill with a true love for their equine friends, creating the perfect atmosphere for superior breeding and training. The club includes 56 stalls and an impressive indoor horse arena, one of the biggest and best in the entire state of Montana.

In addition to the visual appeal of the land within the Paws Up boundaries, there’s also a vast expanse of natural beauty in the surrounding areas. Majestic mountains and scenic forests include the protected Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Garnet Mountain Range, the University of Montana-owned Lubrecht Experimental Forest and the Mission Mountains. These areas are rich with abundant wildlife, which often set up house at Paws Up for a season or two. A variety of winged creatures are also frequent visitors, including the many ducks that exercise splishing and splashing rights on their very own pond in the middle of the property.

As well as providing water for the working aspects of the Ranch, the 10 miles of the Blackfoot River that wind through Paws Up offer some of the best fly-fishing in the West. With over six species of game fish, the “Big Blackie” has much more variety for the avid angler than most trout streams. The Blackfoot is known worldwide due to its prominence in the best-selling novel A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean and the successful movie of the same name directed by Robert Redford and starring Brad Pitt.

In 2003, after just five short years in the registered cattle business, Paws Up was rated as one of the top 10 Black Angus seed stock operations in Montana. After the annual production sale that year, a decision was made to focus on running a commercial cattle operation and opening a first-class luxury resort. Such a unique and colorful history combined with miles and miles of wide-open space and spectacular beauty just had to be shared. Incomparable scenery and Big Sky hospitality make Paws Up truly The Last Best Place.