Answer:

Short answer: Yes — Patricia Elizabeth Shannon ultimately won the legal battle to receive the Montana “retreat” property (the Big Hole River land) from Charles Kuralt’s estate. The Montana Supreme Court affirmed the District Court’s judgment that Kuralt’s June 18, 1997 handwritten letter was a valid holographic codicil, giving the Montana property to Shannon. 

🧭 What the courts decided

• The District Court found that Charles Kuralt intended to transfer the Madison County property to Shannon through his handwritten June 18, 1997 letter.
• The Montana Supreme Court affirmed that ruling, meaning Shannon legally inherited the Montana retreat.
• Later appeals (including tax‑allocation disputes) also recognized the codicil as valid and confirmed that the property belonged to Shannon, with estate taxes paid from the residuary estate.

🧬 Why she won

The key factor was the court’s determination that Kuralt’s handwritten letter expressed present testamentary intent, not just a future wish. That made it a legally binding codicil under Montana law.