History
In 1905, the DePuy family moved from Kansas to Livingston where they purchased a small farm on the Yellowstone river in Paradise Valley, supporting the family with farming, sheep and cattle ranching. Over the years, additional property was added to create the current DePuy ranch.
During the late 1950’s, Warren DePuy decided to build a fish hatchery on the property. After obtaining ownership of the water rights to a large spring creek that flowed through a portion of the ranch, he bulldozed a diversion to redirect the creek outflow so it could feed the newly-built hatchery.
According to an article in the Park Electric paper, in a few short years, the hatchery grew to be one of the largest in the country.
The hatchery was short lived, though, because a new highway was surveyed and constructed through the hatchery area located at what is now the main entrance.
During the highway construction, the original creek was dredged to add a series of new channels, drops, pools, and runs throughout the ranch, resulting in our world-famous spring creek fishery. The work also added ponds for the waterfowl common to the river bottom, as well as the magnificent Trumpeter Swans brought here via a cooperative venture between the DePuy family and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
A wise person once said that stream etiquette is nothing more than common sense. Simply put: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If there is a question about encroaching on another angler’s space, just ask.
