A Montana Moment in the Big Hole
In 2021, NBC Montana reporter Kevin Maki visited Shepherd’s Garage in Jackson. He spoke with Toby Shepherd about the family business, followed the shop’s history back to 1945 and talked with longtime customer Tom Tash about what the garage means to ranchers working in the Big Hole.
Four generations in Jackson
Toby’s great-grandfather Jack Shepherd started the business as a Texaco station and repair garage. Jack’s son Rich Shepherd ran the shop for nearly 40 years. David grew up working beside his father before his life was cut short in a 2001 avalanche. Toby became the fourth Shepherd generation to carry the business forward.
Built around Big Hole haying
The shop began by repairing equipment for nearby ranches, then started building machinery for stacking loose hay. Shepherd’s Garage built derricks, beaverslides and buck rakes, while Rich became especially known for the side-delivery rakes made in the Jackson shop. As ranchers moved toward newer haying systems, the business moved from building equipment to selling and servicing it.
“We had to change just as the ranchers had to change. We went from building equipment to selling equipment to servicing more equipment.”
— Toby Shepherd in the 2021 NBC Montana feature
A shop ranchers have counted on
Tom Tash’s family has ranched near Polaris since 1889 and has worked with Shepherd’s Garage for generations. In the feature, he stops at the Jackson shop for help with a hydraulic hose and explains the value of having parts and service nearby. His ranch is about 18 miles from Jackson and nearly 40 miles from Dillon—a short trip by Big Hole standards.
“Our ranch has been around since 1889, so we’ve been associated with Shepherd’s Garage since they’ve been going.”
— Tom Tash in the 2021 NBC Montana feature
Engineering beyond the hayfield
Maki’s story also traces the Shepherd family’s connection to snow machines. Jack used snowplanes to travel the valley before snowmobiles became common. Rich raced oval sleds, and David built modified race sleds and won four World Championship hillclimbs. One of David’s hand-built sleds remains in the Jackson shop with the family’s racing trophies and photographs.
Shepherd’s Garage today
Since Kevin Maki filmed the story, Shepherd’s Garage has continued to grow under Toby and co-owner Evan Peacock. The Jackson shop remains the company’s home in the Big Hole, joined by teams in Dillon, Helena and Victor. Across all four locations, the work still begins the same way it did in 1945: understand what the customer needs and help keep the equipment working.