HISTORIC CRAIL RANCH CONSERVATORS
BIG SKY – The Historic Crail Ranch Homestead Museum is inviting kids and families to enjoy the sixth annual Old Fashioned Game Day on Saturday, July 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. This tradition gives kids an opportunity to step back in time and enjoy the games that were popular when the ranch was established 111 years ago.
Games include bobbing for apples; ring toss; marbles; watermelon seed spitting; tug of war; and egg, potato, and gunny sack races. This year kids can also participate in quilting and doll making.
At 2:30 p.m., AnnaLee Baker will present HCRM with two paintings by her grandfather, Eugene Crail, the oldest child of Augustus Franklin and Sallie Crail who were among the first permanent residents of Big Sky.
Baker, a retired school principal from Illinois, learned of the ranch several years ago. She and her husband were in the process of moving into a new home when she discovered her grandfather’s paintings in a corner of her basement and decided to donate them to HCRM.
Eugene Crail lived on the ranch and in Bozeman until World War II, when he moved to Port Angeles, Wash. He built the first Ophir School, structures at the B – K Ranch (now Lone Mountain Ranch), and the Rock Haven Presbyterian Camp, among others. Eugene’s paintings, created in his 80s, depict Montana landscapes.
HCRM encourages participants to bring a sack lunch. Drinks will be provided and a cake reception will follow the presentation. All events at the ranch are free to the public.
