A decades-long battle is intensifying in Montana's Crazy Mountains as family farms and ranches are increasingly purchased by large corporations and millionaires, with new development now reaching into the heart of the wilderness area.
The latest concern centers on a one-room log cabin built on the east shore of Twin Lakes, marking the first permanent structure constructed in the heart of this wilderness area.
The cabin sits on one of the Crazy Mountains' private inholdings and is owned by David Leuschen, co-founder of a private equity firm and former Goldman Sachs executive.
Watch to hear concerns about development in Montana's Crazy Mountains
"They're one of the most rugged mountain ranges and amazing places," said Jarred, a local visitor.
The cabin's construction has drawn criticism from longtime hikers and wilderness advocates who worry about the precedent it sets.
"To me, it's a bummer to see the cabin up there because I was always taught to leave no trace," said Tyler Cottrell, who has been hiking in the area for eight years. "The thing for me is it takes the wild out of the wilderness."
John Gatchell, who spent his career advocating for wild places with the Montana Wilderness Association and Wild Montana, shares these concerns about the development's impact on the area's character.
"It's just the beginning of the erosion and loss of the public values that are there and the wildness of that place that makes it special," Gatchell said. "It starts to set a precedent."
In 2012, Leuschen purchased the Lazy K Bar Ranch at the foot of the Crazies. He also owns the Switchback Ranch, one of the largest cattle ranching operations in the Northern Rockies at 160,000 acres. Attempts to reach Leuschen for comment were unsuccessful.
"It used to be it was nice they could build a big house with a view of the mountains, and now there's an effort to possess our mountains, even a special place like the Crazy Mountains," Gatchell said. "That's not something for one person. That's something for all of us."
Similar concerns are emerging on the west side of the Crazies, where construction of a golf course on the former Marlboro Ranch has led to disputes over water rights.
That ranch is now owned by the same parent company that owns the Yellowstone Club.
"It's a symbol of what we fear. The privatization of our wildest public places," Gatchell said.
The Crazy Mountains, located in central Montana, are renowned for their rugged beauty and wilderness character.
"It's as beautiful as any national park in the world," one visitor noted.
