BIGFORK, MONTANA
Wrangler Springs Ranch
In 2018, Doug Averill acquired Wrangler Springs Ranch and saw the opportunity to create a very special experience to provide an introduction to real life skills for both children and adults to balance our culture’s high -tech lifestyle. The Ranch encompasses 500 acres and is one of the most picturesque ranches in the Flathead Valley. It is located in the shadows of the Jewel Basin Primitive Area and was originally Homesteaded in 1886.
The Paladin Conservancy offers educational programs for all. Such programming includes a historical perspective of the area including a large display of wagons used in the early days when the Valley was first being settled. Additional activities include learning about crops and farming, ranching, horticulture, hydropower generation, forest management, rodeo skills, and even growing your own vegetables.
Where does Paladin come from?
The Paladins, sometimes also known as the Twelve Peers, were the foremost warriors of Charlemagne’s court. Charlemagne or Charles the Great was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774 and Holy Roman Emperor from 800.
In ancient history, paladins were renowned not just as elite warriors but as champions of the weak and vulnerable, epitomising all that was good. They were devoted to kindness. But beyond measure they were devoted in their effectiveness at ridding the universe of evil and crusading in the name of good, justice and order. All the while they honoured their strict code of honour. It was said that in combat, a paladin with a cause was almost impossible to defeat. Such was their fearsome reputation that it was said they had divine powers.