Pintler Mountain Beef: Mountain Raised Angus since 1904

William P. ‘Red’ Carey immigrated from Ireland and as a young man fought for the Union Army during the Civil War. Red Carey then headed west to Montana, working for the Northern Pacific railroad, and then running stationary engines at the Elk Horn,  Bearmouth, Granite, and Rumsey mining mills.

Red Carey begins homesteading near Philipsburg, Montana, at what would later become Carey Meadows (about 1890), not far from the current Christensen Bros Ranch. Red Carey’s wife, Ellen (née Grady) buys a homestead along nearby Meadow Creek.

Phillip Sarsfield “Sarch” Carey homesteads the current Christensen Bros Ranch along the banks of Trout Creek. The ranch spans 2080 acres from the hills above Georgetown Lake to the Skalkaho Highway.

William Monroe “Bill” Carey and Layla (née Parks) homestead on the East Fork of Rock Creek; Bill works as a teamster helping to build the dam for what is now Georgetown Lake. They raise a family on the East Fork (Christensen Bros great grandparents).

Rasmus and Ann Marie Christensen immigrate from Denmark in 1904 and land in Montana around 1908, ultimately settling on Ross’ Fork of Rock Creek in 1928. They have seven children: Eli, Oswald, Robert, Alice, Ann, Carl, and Violet.

Eli, Robert “Bob”, and Oswald “Ozzy” take over the Ross' Fork ranch as the “Christensen Bros.” The brothers together run the ranch for a number of years, until Eli and Ozzy move on to other things.

Bob Christensen marries Mary Helen (daughter of Bill and Layla Carey), uniting two ranching families. They operate the ranch on the Ross’ Fork and have five children: Bill, Helen, Jim, Steve, and Marilyn. In addition to raising crops and livestock, Bob and his children cut sawlogs and posts.

Bill Christensen takes over the Trout Creek ranch from his great uncle Sarch Carey in 1956. In 1970 he marries Sharon LeFevre and they begin a beautiful life together on the Trout Creek Ranch. Prior to moving to the ranch, Sharon, a native of Butte, earned Masters degrees and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. Sharon was a true feminist and forward thinker of her time. They raise three boys, Nate, Josh, and Joel. As their children grow, Bill also works in a sawmill and as a bartender, and Sharon also works for the Philipsburg Mail and then starts teaching at the Granite County High School.

Upon the deaths of Nate, Bill, and Sharon, the Trout Creek ranch is passed on to Josh and Joel, and it is renamed the Christensen Bros Ranch. Generations of stewards before them have instilled a deep love for the land, the ranching history, and a passion for caring for the natural environment.

Pintler Mountain Beef is formed as a way to continue the ranching legacy of the Christensen family, preserve unspoiled open space, and to provide consumers with a wholesome source of protein grown in an entirely natural environment from pasture to plate.