Trapper Creek Ranch
Trapper Creek Ranch is owned and operated by JM Peck – but it has a history rich with perseverance and dedication. While the ranch currently houses angus cattle in Melrose, Montana, the Peck Family were originally Marino sheep farmers in Geneva, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. In fact, JM has a picture of his ancestors showing sheep at the 1903 World Fair that is displayed in his office. During World War II, the military switched from fashioning uniforms out of wool to utilizing synthetic fibers. This greatly affected the livelihood of the Peck family. JM’s grandfather, George Peck, fought in WWII, and upon returning could not abandon the ranching career despite not being able to maintain a profit with Marino sheep.
And so, he began feeding cattle in Illinois before moving to Montana, where he began by feeding, and eventually purchasing cattle. In 1967, George Peck purchased the land where Trapper Creek Ranch now lays. This land was passed on to George’s son (JM’s father) before being passed along to JM. With around 500 mother cows, JM and his father run the ranch with the assistance of a single full-time worker and the occasional part-time help. However, those original roots in sheep are not forgotten, as the original homestead of the Peck Family is now an Illinois State Park.
About the Location
Located within the Beaverhead Deer-Lodge National Forest on the Big Hole River, Trapper Creek is located in the shadow of the mountains in East Pioneer Ridge. The climate is a high desert, receiving only 6-7 inches of rain per year. The cattle graze among vegetation consisting of sagebrush, blue brush, wheat grass, and other cold season grasses.
The mother cows calve on the main facility and lands near the headquarters from March through April. After the calves are born, they stick with their mothers, and their herd, as they graze through various public lands throughout the Rocky Mountains. Throughout the summer months, the herds graze on over 60,000 acres with an elevation reaching as high as 9,000 feet.
Enhancing the Future While Remembering the Past
JM Peck is extremely passionate about ranching, maintaining a sustainable and environmentally-friendly operation, and making the future of ranching better for everyone involved. He takes pride in their ranch’s positioning on the Big Hole River and recognize it as an essential resource both as water for their operation and also a site that people travel from around the world to visit. Therefore, they work hard to protect it. In fact, JM believes that the key to being a successful rancher is recognizing one’s existence within the broader environment and ecosystem and upholding their responsibility to function and work with the system, not against it.
He has also taken on the role of advocate for ranchers. While people working within agriculture are a small percentage of the world’s population, there’s not a person in the world who doesn’t rely on a farmer or rancher to provide daily sustenance. With the current supply chain, it’s easy to forget that most items purchased at the store go through a series of steps that all start with a farmer or rancher growing and harvesting the crops that act as ingredients for the food item. So, in addition to his busy life raising cattle, JM advocates for the ranching population by meeting people, opening up his ranch for tours, and even traveling to his state capital to testify on legislation that directly affects the agriculture industry.
Frank and Belinda VanderSloot, Owners
2880 N 55 W
Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402
208.528.6635 (office)
[email protected]
Idaho Falls, Idaho • Dillon, Montana
Promontory, Utah • Laneville, Texas
Request a Brochure