A Breeze Through Winter: Tales from the M L Ranch

Established in the late 1870s by two smooth operators, Henry Clay Lovell and Anthony Mason, the M L Ranch first set up shop south of its eventual location. A little over a decade later, in 1883, it got a move on northward to Billings, Montana, aiming for markets and a cozier spot. By 1886, the ranch had blossomed to a whopping 25,000 acres, but the following winter tested its mettle. Over 10,000 animals felt the cold, but the M L Ranch weathered the storm better than most, making its owners mighty proud. However, Anthony Mason shed his boots in 1892, and Henry Clay Lovell in 1903, with the latter town being christened in his honor. The Lovell family kept the ranch until 1909, when the Bureau of Reclamation stepped in and added the M L Ranch to the fold. The National Park Service took control in 1966, and on July 15, 1992, it was given a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons