"Free" land Montana

deerefan · Dec 15, 2005

\"Free\" land Montana

I have been trying to persuade my wife to relocate to Montana within the next 10 years. I live in Louisiana and am getting tired of summer lasting 9 months. I like four seasons, mainly winter and fall. I have heard that you can obtain "free" land in Montana as long as you pay taxes and set up utilities. I believe you have to farm it also. I'm not too sure how all this works. Can anyone help clarify this? We would love to move there and would like to purchase a large chunk of land (at least 500 acres) for horse and cattle farming. Anyone live in Montana can give me an idea of life there? Thanks for the help!

BillG_in_TX · Dec 15, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

 How do I find information regarding homesteading in Montana?

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976 ended homesteading in all the lower 48 states. Alaska ended homesteading 10 years later.
 /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

From the How Do I? State of Montana website.

HGM · Dec 15, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

I heard that myself. Thought it would be a great idea. I still may be interested to a degree, but I spoke to a guy that lived the dream. It's not quite what it sounds like, aparently.

The land in question is, according to him, not the area you would want to live. In West Montana, the western side of the mountains, the cost of living is quite high(relative to much of the country). This free land is located either in the higher elevations(above the tree line) and extremely suceptible to wild fires, or in the plains to the east. In the plains, he said, alot of the land is reservation land or extremely windy making it hard to deal with.

This is his account on what he learned while living there over the past 10yrs. He also said it was the most beautifull part of the country. Everything is spread out, you need to be in shape to live there.. But, as a whole if it wasnt his wife wanting to move back to her family in Georgia he would still be there.

I'm looking forward to reading the other posters info on this. It sounds great. Just thought I'd through out the info I heard last week. It shocked me.

Sigarms · Dec 15, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

Dreams are one thing, reality is another.

Please don't this statement (sp?) the wrong way.

Being from Louisiana (sp?) are you used to winters?

Montana is not very warm in the winter time /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Some places out "west" are pretty "rural" to the point when it snows, you're on your own. No transportaion, no stores of anykind, and kind of lonely.

As long as you know your prepared for what you're going to endure, still look at the possibilitys. But, if you haven't lived where you're looking at during a winter season, visit the area in Jan. or Feb. to get an idea of what your looking at "getting into".

GaryE · Dec 15, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

Don’t know about free land. But take her to Glacier National Park in July / August then let her decide. If I were not in Maine I would be in Montana.

If she still does not want to move there, at least it will be the best vacation you have ever had.

Good luck,

Gary

Sigarms · Dec 15, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

I would think the time to go would be in Dec., Jan., and Feb. to get a "good idea" of what your getting yourselves into.

Go in the summer, love it, sell and or move everything, winter is still going to come and not go away, and you might be surprised that you may actually need a snowmobile to get around.

Keep in mind, summer months are not that long anyway in that area /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

EFC · Dec 15, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

I have a ranch in eastern Montana for hunting; it is a paradise for antelope, mule deer and ring necks because it is mostly full of sage, flat ground with random buttes and no trees. I don’t go there after December 1st. Why??? 30 to 60 below zero with the wind chill, sometimes colder and I have seen 15 foot drifts for 60 miles. The power can be down for weeks at a time and roads impassable. This little chilly front can last for 3 to 4 months.

People live there year round just not me

I have been to your neck of the woods though and I would take eastern Montana any day, you have bugs down there that can carry away bear cans!!!!.

Buck

Egon · Dec 16, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

The Going to the Sun road is snow blocked in june. Awesome view. Before it was paved I can remember meeting cars in which some people had bags over their heads so as not to see the dropoffs. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Montana is a large piece of land with a lot of variances from Mountain to Prairie and some good Ski hills. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Egon

HGM · Dec 16, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

Being a southern boy, I would love to spend some time up there to experience it. I know its a harder life, but its beautifull....

rancar · Dec 16, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

"...it is mostly full of sage, flat ground with random buttes and no trees. I don’t go there after December 1st. Why??? 30 to 60 below zero with the wind chill, sometimes colder and I have seen 15 foot drifts for 60 miles." 

I traveled around Montana during my college years. I agree with your assessment. The western part of the state is beautiful if you can afford the high land prices. The eastern part was the most desolate place in America I've ever visited. I recall driving the portion south of Fort Peck Lake for a couple hours without seeing another human being or vehicle but lots of antelope. The small towns I passed through consisted of a few homes, some lived in others not, and small groceries, gas stations, etc that looked like they operated by appointment only....VERY DESOLATE. I felt like I arrived in a metropolis when I arrived in the rather busy enclave called Wolf Point....AmTrak actually has a rather busy station located here. Stretch of US2 from Wolf Point to Havre also desolate. Havre is a bustling cattle town with a local college and other small businesses. Prettiest part of the state I enjoyed the most was the stretch of US93 from Whitefish/Kalispell down to Missoula and US93's continuence through the Bitterroute range and US89 from Great Falls to Bozeman....real pretty country in these high mountains.

...Bob

LarryD · Dec 17, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

The misses and I visited her sister in Helena for Christmas in '92.

It was so cold that when I went to get the luggage out of the car 15 min. after arriving, we had to use a hair dryer to free up the seals on the door, about 60 below. It stayed that way for the 4 days we were there.

When we left, we were coming down the back of a pass on I90 and it started to get cool in the car. I adjusted the heat up a bit and still felt cool. So now I'm thinking the heater is on the fritz and we've got a full day of driving in sub-zero temps. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif Then I check the temp guage on the dash and it says the engine is cold. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif We've been on the road for over an hour at 45-50 mph and the engine is cold? /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Never went back in the winter.

EddieWalker · Dec 17, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

(
When we left, we were coming down the back of a pass on I90 and it started to get cool in the car. I adjusted the heat up a bit and still felt cool. So now I'm thinking the heater is on the fritz and we've got a full day of driving in sub-zero temps. Then I check the temp guage on the dash and it says the engine is cold. )

That's why all the truckers and allot of the locals have covers over their radiators. It's impossible for an engine to get to operating temps in that kind of cold.

Eddie

Egon · Dec 17, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

Most of the big trucks will be fitted with automatic shutters.

Egon

Sigarms · Dec 17, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

Reminds me the first time I spent some time in Alaska. First time I ever saw "electrical cords" coming out of the front grills on vehicles /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

cowboydoc · Dec 17, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

Most people move to montana in the spring or summer and leave the next spring. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif The winters are really hard. Lots and lots of snow and bitterly cold winters. You have 9 months of summer, montana has 9 months of winter. It's nothing odd to have a foot of snow in June or September.

If you can deal with the winters it's a beautiful place to live. Tough but beautiful.

In Montana it isn't farming it's ranching, especially related to horses and cattle. Horse and cattle farming is worse than a four letter word. 500 acres won't get you much of a ranch. Unlike LA everything in MT has to be irrigated. If it isn't irrigated, and alot isn't able to be irrigated, you're lucky to get one animal unit to 20 - 30 acres. If you can irrigate you can do better. But irrigation has to be done every week and is VERY time intensive.

It's kind of like the old saying the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

greatrandini · Dec 19, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

Can u spell D I V O R C E? That's what taking ur southern bell bride to Montana will get Ya!!!! Maybe buy some good land in Kansas? Least she can drive home from here when the snow flies!

FL_Cracker · Dec 21, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

I hope your planning to farm Sage Brush, that's all will grow in the CHEAP or FREE land. I've looked a some of the stuff and it's barren looking land with no WATER.

tpost · Dec 21, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

I read one time their are the same type of programs in North Dakota.

deerefan · Dec 21, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

I just read a post that was closed about a storm that went thru North Dakota. 90 mph winds and 44 inches of snow. WOW! My wife read the same post...no way I can convince her to move now!

cowboydoc · Dec 21, 2005

Re: \"Free\" land Montana

 90 mph winds and 44 inches of snow Yes and that's not uncommon. Before you go anywhere in the great northwest you call and check road closures, and yes this is on major interstates. Most of the interstates in the west literally have locked gates that they use to keep people off them when they get bad.