How Much of Montana Does the Largest Landowner in the U.S. Own?

With vast ranch holdings including across Montana and Wyoming, the sheer scale is hard to fathom.

There’s a new number one on the list of the largest landowners in the United States.

STAN IS THE MAN

There’s a new number one on the list of the largest landowners in the United States. The Northern Ag Network tells us that even if you don’t recognize the name Stan Kroenke, you’re likely familiar with at least one of the sports teams he owns: The NBA Denver Nuggets, the NFL Los Angeles Rams, and the NHL Colorado Avalanche. The sports and entertainment mogul now owns about 2.7 million acres of private land, consisting mostly of cattle ranches. That’s according to the new Land Report 100 list.

Mr. Kroenke has significant land holdings in Montana and Wyoming. His Montana properties include the 124,000 acre Broken O ranch near Augusta, the Cedar Creek Ranch near Ennis and the PV Ranch near Hysham.

He also owns approximately 560,000 acres in Wyoming including the Q Creek Ranch, often described as the largest contiguous ranch in the Rocky Mountains.

ROUNDING OUT THE TOP 5

The next 4 largest landowner in the U.S. are:

>The Emmerson family, owners of Sierra Pacific Industries, 2,440,000 acres.

>John Malone, Liberty Media Chairman Emeritus, 2,200,000 acres.

>CNN founder Ted Turner owns an even 2,000,000 acres.

>The Reed family, forestry business owners, have 1,615,000 acres.

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OTHER MONTANA LANDOWNERS OF NOTE

The Galt Family in Meagher County, Montana comes in at number 50 on the Land Report 100 list and are the number 4 landowner in Montana at 262,000 acres. The Galt family has been ranching in Montana for over 100 years. Nestled between the Big Belt and the Little Belt Mountains, the Galt Ranch is located in central Montana near White Sulphur Springs.

Number 72 on the list is the Scott Family that owns 220,000 acres in Montana and Wyoming. Homer and Mildred Scott started the Padlock Ranch in 1943 that today raises over 10,000 head feeder cattle on the 475,000-acre ranch which is headquartered along the Tongue River and straddles the Montana–Wyoming state line. A significant portion of the ranch’s leased lands lie on the Crow Indian Reservation in Southern Montana.

With two plots in St. Mary's Cemetery, I check in as the number eleventy-jillionth landowner. And quite proud of it I am!