Meet the Skyline Guest Ranch Family

First, we have to go back in time a couple of generations, back to the day when miners were trying their luck to pull gold, silver, copper and other ore from this rugged region. The tiny, isolated community of Cooke City was built around the rudimentary mining industry and Victor Orin (V.O.) Jackson found his treasure here not in the mines, but in serving the mining community. V.O. brought dairy and beef cattle to these mountains to provide milk and meat for the miners. He and his children harvested ice by cutting blocks of ice from the river in winter and packing it with straw in a small cabin. In the summer he sold milk, meat, and ice to the people of Cooke City, later opening a butcher shop and small grocery.

When the mines closed down, V.O. turned his focus to the newly developing tourist industry, and trading his milk cows for horses and mules, he began to serve in a different way, taking visitors on trail rides, camp trips, hunting, and fishing. He built a motel, restaurant and gas station with a barn and corrals and called it Skyline Guest Ranch!

As the years advanced, V.O. sold the buildings but retained the horse business, running it until he was 85 years old! So, when his grandson and namesake, Vic, bought the horse business, he dreamed of building lodging facilities and bringing Skyline Guest Ranch back into full operation.

Vic and Liz Jackson have carried on the tradition of providing great outdoor adventures since 1978. They raised five children who spent every summer of their childhood learning to work together in these mountains. The dream seemed a long time coming, but, in 1999 Vic, Liz, all the kids, and many others worked together to build the beautiful lodge which is now the hub of Skyline activity.

Their oldest daughter, Lara and her husband, Luke Morris, and their four children bring the tradition forward yet another generation as they continue to work together to bring you the finest experience in hospitality and backcountry adventures.

Fifth-generation Grandchildren have joined our team and together we welcome you to join our family in exploring and appreciating the marvels of Mother Nature that surround us in this Rocky Mountain paradise.