Cattle Ranch Turned Dude Ranch: Making Ends Meet At The Rocking Z

This story first aired on Montana Public Radio on August 6, 2009.

Tucked away in a valley next to the Missouri River between Great Falls and Helena is the Rocking Z Ranch. It’s a modest spread.

Horse corrals are the first thing you see when you drive up the road to Rocking Z, then a timber frame barn, a workshop turned saloon and a ranch style lodge and guest rooms.

"We’re the king of scrounge when it comes to getting stuff built," says ranch owner Zack Wirth.

Small, family run ranch operations aren’t what they used to be. The cost of insurance, equipment, and energy are rising, so some ranch families are forced to supplement their income from selling livestock.

Zack and Patty Wirth opened their family ranch to guests about ten years ago. “It’s always said that a rancher buys retail, sells wholesale and pays the freight both ways…and we were the classic example of that,” Wirth says.

The Wirth's weren't able to sell the amount of cows needed to pay the bills, and didn’t have the land to expand. So Zack sat down with his family and decided their ranch and knowledge of horses would make for a great dude ranch.

Every morning the guests gather in the lodge to eat breakfast together, get to know each other and talk about the day’s adventure.

Dennis Bridges has visited Rocking Z four times. "Nothing like this back home, no where," Bridges says during breakfast. "If i was a younger man i would come and live here, definitely.”

He’s from England, and has quite a background in horsemanship. Bridges spent most of his career in England as part of the Royal Horse Artillery, and then later he worked for the Queen, riding on the carriages and taking part in royal state visits. But, Bridges says at heart, he’s just a frustrated cowboy.

"Riding cowboy horses is like riding a race horse, you’re very relaxed," Bridges explains. "Where in England a lot of them are very, it’s very regimental. And we’re very grateful and very lucky we get to keep coming back here.”

All 17 guests staying at Rocking Z this week are Europeans.

Zack Wirth says about half of their clients are from overseas -- people who are looking for that ‘Western’ experience. “We think simplicity, there is a niche in the market, for simplicity and sustainability,” Wirth says.

And the Rocking Z is pretty laid back. There were no ‘yeehaws’ or ‘giddy-ups’ being shouted, but instead folks come to enjoy the beauty of the Rockies and learn a thing or two about riding.

The Changing Tide Of Ranching

Sustainable family farms and ranches look very different today than they used to.

Agricultural economics professor at Montana State University Joe Atwood says in the 1800s when homesteaders started heading west massive family farms and ranches covered the landscape.

"We continue to see a decrease in the number of farms," says Atwood. "The ones who are strictly the commercial farming operations have been getting bigger in size and acreage.

The smaller to mid size people who were not even willing or able to compete in purchasing that land are getting more and more of their income from off-farm sources.”

The Wirths say they are about a $500,000 in debt. Patty Wirth says they had to take out a big adjustable rate mortgage to make renovations to the ranch in order to accommodate guests.

"The business loan the way it is is not fixed, its flexible, and if the rates go sky high and our payments double with doubled interest rates to the bank, we can’t make it,” Patty says.

The dude ranch isn’t the only way the Wirths are making money. Zack also took on a part time seasonal gig.

"And we were looking for income in the middle of the winter because we go from November to April without any money, no cash flow," Zack says. "And that’s really troublesome, we get behind on our bills if we have to long of a season, so we were looking for a high value, short term. And somebody suggested if I grew a beard...”

Mr. Wirth becomes Mr. Claus every November.

He goes back East and works for a naturally bearded Santa Claus company, making about $21 an hour.

Despite being in debt, Wirth says their dude ranch is succeeding.

"We have achieved our wildest dreams, we managed how to figure out how to make our little property support one family," says Zack. "And support it in a nice lifestyle that is very comfortable. We definitely work long hours in the summer time but we have achieved hanging on to our ranch and we have created a sustainability that I think is marvelous.”

Zack and Patty say reservations are down this summer, so they’ll consider themselves lucky if they just break even. Breaking even is really all Zack’s grandparents wanted when they first came to the area in the 1800s.