












Our History
Hans and Louis Peterson (first generation) settled in the Gregson Valley in 1895. Together they had eight children, one of them being my great grandpa Henry August (second generation). Hans acquired 160 acres of land under the homestead act in the Gregson valley and chose to make it his home, being perhaps the first Bonafide rancher in Silver Bow County.
On that land, Hans and Louis taught their kids about crops and rural way of life. Hans wanted to grow a crop that would make the ranch unique and profitable and decided on cabbage. Cabbage would grow in unpredictable conditions and would survive an early frost. Another benefit of cabbage was that it is the main ingredient in sauerkraut, a product that could be sold to the many German immigrants in Butte and Anaconda. Annually, he grew 76,000 heads of cabbage, enough to feed all of Silver Bow County. Hans became known as the "sauerkraut king" throughout Montana.
Over the years, Henry (second generation), my great grandpa, took over daily operations and realized that cattle ranching would be more profitable than selling cabbage. Henry and his wife, Vera, had 3 boys, Art, Doug, and my grandpa, William Henry (third generation). Henry and his sons, Art and William bought a few cattle and started to grow some hay. William and Art decided they wanted to be ranchers and purchased more land so they could expand the ranch throughout the Gregson valley. They purchased more cattle and over 1,000 sheep, but later decided to only ranch with cattle. William met a local girl, Shirley, and together they had 13 kids (11 girls and 2 boys). My dad, Jay (fourth generation), is one of the boys.
My dad and his 12 siblings quickly learned the ropes of ranching and farming. They raised cattle, rented out horses and even guided for elk hunting in the mountains behind the ranch. The Peterson Corral rented out horses and took tourist and visitors on trail rides throughout the ranch. My dad and my uncle Hank kept the ranch going and together they have expanded it throughout the years. My dad married my mom, Beth, and together they had me and my two brothers (fifth generation).




