Our story begins...
Over 100 years ago our story began. A widowed mother and her young son made the journey to Montana. Traveling here to meet up with her brother who had written to her telling her he had started farming in the wild west. When she and her son arrived they found that her brother had packed up and left. The Darlington Ranch is a tale of resilience in untamed land that turned into a 5 generation legacy.
In 1916 Iva Nora Darlington (known as "Nora") traveled to Big Sandy, MT after receiving word from her brother that he had begun farming there and that she was welcome to join him in Montana. Nora had lost her husband, William, to pneumonia 7 years prior when her son was just 3 years old.
Nora Packed up her 10 year old boy, Harley, and made the trek for Montana from Winchester, Ohio. When she arrived she found that her brother had packed up and left!
At this time the Homestead Act of 1862 had been revised to the Enlarged Homestead Act which brought a great influx of homesteaders to Montana. Despite the odds stacked against her as a widowed mother, Nora stayed and so began the legacy of the Darlington Ranch.
In an effort to attract more people to homestead in Montana, this new act doubled the amount of land available for claim to 320 acres and shortened the amount of time a person had to live on, cultivate, and improve the land in order to receive a deed to 3 years instead of 5.
Railroads launched massive advertising campaigns to bring homesteaders to Montana. When it was over, an estimated 300,000 people had filed for homesteads in Montana with at least eighteen percent of these claims filed by unmarried women.
(Source: https://dp.la/exhibitions/industries-settled-montana/early-settlement/homestead-act?item=1137)
Nora claimed her share and with Harley beside her they built a life in Montana.
In 1928 Harley married the love of his life, Alma. Alma moved to Big Sandy via immigrant train with her family and other members of her French settlement. Alma could not speak a lick of English when she arrived, however as told by her grandchildren, she didn't have even a hint of a French accent as an adult.
Pictured in the photo above is Harley and Alma sitting in front of the sod house they built. They went on to have 6 children, 2 of which were born in this home. The family farmed and ranched living in this old sod shack for 15 years through the depression, dust storms, and low farming prices. Through those hardships they found life's silver linings. They enjoyed attending local dances on the weekend and were no strangers to having a good time, some things never change I suppose! The two had been married 68 years when Harley passed away in 1996. Alma continued to live on the ranch until her own last day.
Many generations have passed since Iva's arrival to Montana. There is an endless supply of legendary tales, brutal winters, and calloused hands that have travelled through this land.
The beautiful thing about this story is it is one that never ends, at least we hope not. Each generation has their own story to tell, their own chapter in the Darlington Ranch Saga.
This is where that story trickles down to us, the Colter Darlington family.
Raising the 6th Generation
Tucked in the heart of Montana, the Darlington Ranch is one of the few remaining ranches where history, tradition, and stewardship run generations deep. What began over a century ago with a brave widow and her young son has grown into a thriving family legacy. Today, Colter and Lauren Darlington carry that legacy into the future with Darlington Ranch Co., their farm-to-table beef business designed to reconnect families with their food—and the ranchers who raise it.
Welcome to our piece of the Darlington Ranch Story
We are Colter and Lauren Darlington. A husband and wife team and the 5th generation working on the Darlington Ranch founded in 1916.
We were both lucky enough to grow up in rural Montana communities and found our way to each other in college at Montana State University. We have been blessed to build a life and a little family out here in the middle of nowhere.
Our business journey began with a shared passion for quality, sustainable food, and a deep respect for the land. In 2023, after years of growing and learning together here on the ranch, we decided to create something special that we could share with others—Darlington Ranch Co. farm-to-table beef. Pasture-raised beef that not only tastes incredible but is raised with love.
Denim Diaries Blog: Ranch-raised recipes & modernly rugged tales of the American West
View all-
How to Cook Outside Skirt Steak
You know what I love? A recipe that is easy and to the point and absolutely delicious in all its simplicity. Without further ado..... MOST IMPORTANT STEP: Purchase a high...
How to Cook Outside Skirt Steak
You know what I love? A recipe that is easy and to the point and absolutely delicious in all its simplicity. Without further ado..... MOST IMPORTANT STEP: Purchase a high...
-
Beef Bone Broth Recipe
Here at Darlington Ranch Co. we believe the best way to pay respect to the land is by honoring what it provides. When an animal gives its life to feed...
Beef Bone Broth Recipe
Here at Darlington Ranch Co. we believe the best way to pay respect to the land is by honoring what it provides. When an animal gives its life to feed...
-
Shipping calves this week
October 20th, 2025 A letter from the ranch, We have been hit with a dusting of snow in Montana. Fall has settled in here at the base of the Bears...
Shipping calves this week
October 20th, 2025 A letter from the ranch, We have been hit with a dusting of snow in Montana. Fall has settled in here at the base of the Bears...
