As head of Ponderosa Films, Carter Boehm has been active in the film production industry for decades. He oversees the development of the Yellowstone Film Ranch in a scenic area of southwest Montana. Carter Boehm’s ambitious project, which encompasses dozens of period buildings and offers everything required for a production set in the 19th century, has an authentic Paradise Valley location.
Situated just to the north of Yellowstone National Park, the valley has historic Livingston as its population hub. The valley is framed by the Crazy and Gallatin Mountain Ranges and borders the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. The Yellowstone River runs through the 4,500-foot elevation valley and I among the world’s longest rivers still freely flowing.
Historically, Paradise Valley was a sacred, neutral territory where the Shoshone, Blackfeet, Crow, and Flathead tribes could coexist. In 1803, the territory was ceded from France to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase under President Thomas Jefferson. Only three years later, it was documented as a stop on the Lewis and Clark expedition, guided by Sacajawea.
The region's fortunes took a remarkable turn in 1864, with gold’s discovery. Mining took hold in Cooke City, Bear Gulch (later Jardine), and Emigrant Gulch. With coal deposits also discovered, Clark City soon became a regional hub that boasted a pair of hotels, a half dozen general stores, and dozens of commercial businesses (more than half of which were saloons). Yellowstone Film Ranch seeks to recreate this bustling, often lawless era of the American West.
