Richard “Dick” Charles Klick was born in Great Falls on February 7, 1934 and Nancy (Mclean) Klick on May 19, 1936. They married in 1956. The couple was most well-known for owning and operating the K Bar L Ranch from the 1970s to 2014.
The ranch was established in 1927 by Dick’s father Emil, his wife Cecelia (Wolf) Klick, and Emil’s brother Leo “Sam” Klick. As soon as Emil relinquished the reins, Dick and Nancy took over management.
The K Bar L Ranch is remotely nestled at the confluence of the South Fork and North Fork of the Sun River at the head of Gibson Reservoir. Located between the two rivers, the ranch was also a part of the Sun River Game Preserve, one of the largest in the United States. Dick and Nancy worked very hard to protect the preserve, with many letters and trips to the Montana State Capital. When testifying at a legislative hearing, Dick was quoted as saying, “I know we are famous for breaking treaties, but let’s keep the one we made in 1913 with the wildlife.”
The life histories of Dick and Nancy include many cowboy and cowgirl traditions. Nancy was the 1954 National High School Rodeo Cutting Horse Champion. Dick won a bull riding buckle at a rodeo in California. He always had a stash of ropes for spinning, and being very good at trick roping, he entertained friends and family.
Dick and Nancy’s greatest pride was in the management of their livestock. Their Black Angus cows had some of the best genetics around. Dick was noted as one of the first ranchers in the area to ear tag his cows.
They also loved a pen full of good- looking colts. There weren’t too many horse sales where you didn’t see Dick and Nancy with a bidder number in hand. Their horses just might have been too well bred and too good looking for a dude string. Many were sold and placed in families, teaching little cowboys and cowgirls how to ride.
Richard “Dick” Charles Klick was born in Great Falls on February 7, 1934 and Nancy (Mclean) Klick on May 19, 1936. They married in 1956. The couple was most well-known for owning and operating the K Bar L Ranch from the 1970s to 2014.
The ranch was established in 1927 by Dick’s father Emil, his wife Cecelia (Wolf) Klick, and Emil’s brother Leo “Sam” Klick. As soon as Emil relinquished the reins, Dick and Nancy took over management.
The K Bar L Ranch is remotely nestled at the confluence of the South Fork and North Fork of the Sun River at the head of Gibson Reservoir. Located between the two rivers, the ranch was also a part of the Sun River Game Preserve, one of the largest in the United States. Dick and Nancy worked very hard to protect the preserve, with many letters and trips to the Montana State Capital. When testifying at a legislative hearing, Dick was quoted as saying, “I know we are famous for breaking treaties, but let’s keep the one we made in 1913 with the wildlife.”
The life histories of Dick and Nancy include many cowboy and cowgirl traditions. Nancy was the 1954 National High School Rodeo Cutting Horse Champion. Dick won a bull riding buckle at a rodeo in California. He always had a stash of ropes for spinning, and being very good at trick roping, he entertained friends and family.
Dick and Nancy’s greatest pride was in the management of their livestock. Their Black Angus cows had some of the best genetics around. Dick was noted as one of the first ranchers in the area to ear tag his cows.
They also loved a pen full of good- looking colts. There weren’t too many horse sales where you didn’t see Dick and Nancy with a bidder number in hand. Their horses just might have been too well bred and too good looking for a dude string. Many were sold and placed in families, teaching little cowboys and cowgirls how to ride.
The couple spent their later years at their beautiful Castle Reef Ranch west of Augusta, where Dick passed away on September 20, 2014. Nancy followed on May 2, 2021.
The Klicks represented everything Western, everything Montana, and everything original. Nancy was quoted as saying, “I hate to watch the cowboy channel without my boots on.” That says it all.