The crazy ownership of the Crazies

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 5/20/21

A stunning island mountain range north of Livingston, Montana, the Crazy Mountains have been the subject of much ownership debate—Montana Free Press’ recent coverage of the topic spans multiple parts. The mountains serve as a sacred place to the Crow Indians, an economy for the Northern Pacific Railroad, the U.S. Forest Service and ranchers, and a hunting and camping ground for recreationists. Those who venture in now are familiar with the booby-trap of “no trespassing” signs, muddled trails and threats from bordering ranchers.

“[Trails are] basically abandoned now—you can’t even find them,” ranch owner and former Montana Senator Lorents Grosfield told Montana Free Press. “They’re grown over with trees and sagebrush and whatever. But they appear on Forest Service maps, so people see them and they say, ‘well that’s a trail you can go on,’ even though there may be a no-trespassing sign and the trail crosses into private land.”