Some say that events and people become of historical interest after 50 years have passed. If that is so, the early phases of Double Arrow Ranch will reach this milestone in June of 2022, just over two years from now.
Today we know the Ranch as one of the larger residential developments in Western Montana. It's a long-standing part of the Seeley Lake community and a place where some residents go back many years. If we look back at the early days of the Ranch, from 1972 - 1979, we see a lively picture that shows us the challenges of such a major project in what was then a turbulent economic decade.
Double Arrow Ranch originally consisted of eight phases, seven of which remain. However, they were not developed in numerical order, as you might expect. Phase 3 was the first to be approved, followed by 2 and 4, 5 and 1A. Finally, Phases 6, 7 and 8 were approved. During the seven years of this project, the state of Montana made revisions to the subdivision law (June of 1973) and inflation almost tripled. It went from 3.3 percent in January of 1972, to 9.3 percent in January of 1979! Interest rates soared as a result.
Today we take low rates for granted, but in 1972 the developer of Double Arrow Ranch (Life of Montana Development Company) dealt with a prime rate of five percent. By 1979 this rate had skyrocketed to 11.5 percent. Large projects need significant financing and to have rates more than double in seven years is a tough hill to climb. In addition, lot owners who were planning to build a house on their land saw the 30-year fixed rate mortgage rise from 7.5 percent in 1972, to 10.5 percent in 1979. This is a far cry from the sub-four rates we have today.
Despite this rapid rise in rates during the 1970's, the Double Arrow Ranch project moved along. A look back at some of the filing documents, along with newspaper articles from that time, present an interesting picture of dealing with Missoula County.
For example, there was a requirement for public park land by the County. This was met in a couple of different ways. Phase 3 of the present Double Arrow Ranch contains Drew Creek Park, a 38-acre undeveloped Missoula County park, which is dedicated to public use. Phase 4, approved just a year later in August of 1973, included a payment of $22,340 to the Missoula County Parks Fund in place of setting aside park land.
If we look ahead another four years, to the launch of Phase 1A in 1977, once again we find Missoula County requiring 66 acres to be "held in perpetuity as parks and playgrounds." The Wagon Wheel Flats and Overland Heights common areas of the Ranch are a result of this requirement.
At the time of the Phase 1A filing there was a move by the county to require more extensive paving of subdivisions, something not planned for this part of the Ranch. The solution was an agreement that the roads for this phase (as is the case with several of the other phases) "...shall remain in private ownership without dedication to or maintenance by the county." We don't know how these changes in county policies might have impacted the developer but they certainly added some uncertainty to the project.
Reading through these documents from the 1970's reveals some odd entries as well, such as a statement relating to Phase 4 that, in addition to a single-family house, the lot could contain additional buildings such as garages, guest houses and servant's quarters!
Despite what was a difficult economic environment in the US in the mid-to-late 1970's, Double Arrow Ranch continued to be well-marketed in Montana. In 1977 we see ads in Montana newspapers for Sales Managers to recruit and train teams of sales representatives, promising an annual salary of $35,000. Early the following year, there were classified Help Wanted ads for part-time sales people doing telephone soliciting. They had the potential to earn $500 to $1,000 per month, on a part-time basis. One such ad even suggested that Double Arrow Ranch was Montana's finest recreational area! This was a good opportunity in Montana 40 years ago.
Of course we know that the developers eventually ran into problems and Montana National Bank of Bozeman showed up in 1978 in the role of trustee for Life of Montana. By this time the new developers, Double Arrow Ranch Associates, Ltd, were raising money by offering Limited Partnership Interests. These were securities only available to Montana investors and offered a combination of tax benefits, equity in the property and "...reduction of indebtedness." As we saw earlier, the continuing rise in interest rates meant alternate forms of raising capital were necessary.
In what seems like a continual world of change, there was one local constant: the County Attorney who signed all of the filing documents was Robert "Dusty" Deschamps III, a 1970 graduate of UM Law School, who served seven terms in that office from 1971 to 1998. Deschamps is now a District Court Judge for the Fourth District in Missoula.
On the other hand, surrounding land ownership of the public and private lands adjoining much of the Ranch is another example of things never staying the same. Since Anaconda (ACM on older maps) had sold their lands and the Bonner Mill to Champion International in 1972, we see on the older Double Arrow maps sections of land owned by Champion. Since then, however, much of this land has passed to Plum Creek in 1993, then on to The Nature Conservancy in 2015, and then part of that to the Lolo National Forest.
As with much of the Seeley Lake area, Double Arrow Ranch has been through change, then periods of stability, then more change again. As a mature development, proud to be part of the Seeley-Swan Valley, the Ranch continues to play a key role, offering homes for people in the workforce as well as for retirees. It is also a source of enthusiastic volunteers and supporters of the community. Our early history should stand as a reminder to us all that from challenging beginnings strong communities evolve.
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