-RR History

In the spring of 1919, the Lemon family moved from Gillead, Ohio to the Gallatin Canyon in an old twelve-cylinder car with a little trailer they affectionately called “Nellie.” With the expectation of starting up a cattle ranch, Mr. Lemon purchased the land where Rainbow Ranch now stands. At that time the land was called Twin Cabins Camp, named after two unoccupied dirt roofed cabins on the banks of the Gallatin River.

The Lemons built cabins for let and called the property The Halfway Inn, named for its proximity between Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park. As time went on, additions were made to the property such as a gas pump, a small store, an auto shop, a smoke house, a blacksmith cabin, two barns, and a sawmill which helped “put bread on the table.”

Meals were prepared in a lean-to kitchen for guests upon request. Cabins rented out for $1 a night and gas was sold for $.25 per gallon (which people thought was outrageously expensive).

At the time there were very few people living in the Gallatin Canyon and neighbors were few and far between. In the tough winters, horseback, skis and snowshoes were the main sources of transportation, and all supplies were hauled by horseback from Gallatin Gateway. In emergency situations they could drag someone on a sled behind a horse for 25 miles until they could reach a vehicle to take them to a doctor in Bozeman. Schooling was done at home or at a small schoolhouse in the area.