Grant–Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site facts for kids
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Grant–Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
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Grant–Kohrs Ranch
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 Location in Montana
Location in the United States
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| Location | Powell County, Montana, USA |
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| Nearest city | Deer Lodge, MT |
| Area | 1,618 acres (6.55 km2) |
| Built | 1863 |
| Visitation | 17,095 (2012) |
| Website | Grant–Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000738 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Designated NHLD | December 19, 1960 |
| Designated NHS | August 25, 1972 |
The Grant–Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site was created in 1972. It helps us remember the history of the cattle industry in the American West. This story goes from the 1850s until more recent times.
The ranch started in 1862. It was founded by Johnny Grant, a fur trader from Canada. He built it at Cottonwood Creek, Montana, which later became Deer Lodge. The ranch was next to the Clark Fork river. Later, a very successful cattle rancher named Conrad Kohrs made the ranch much bigger. Today, this historic site covers about 1,618 acres. It is still a working ranch and the National Park Service takes care of it.
Contents
Starting the Ranch
Johnny Francis Grant was born in Fort Edmonton, Canada. When he was three, his mother died. He then went to Trois-Rivières, Quebec to live with his grandmother. His father worked for the Hudson's Bay Company. When Johnny was a teenager, he went to Fort Hall, Idaho to meet his father. There, he learned how to trade goods.
In the 1840s, the fur trade was slowing down. So, Johnny Grant and his brother James started trading with pioneers. These were people traveling west on the Oregon Trail. Johnny made good money by trading one healthy cow or horse for two tired ones from travelers. He would then feed and rest the tired animals. The next year, he would trade them again. This is how he got into the cattle business.
Grant began using the Deer Lodge Valley in 1857. He grazed his cattle there during the winter. They stayed along the Clark Fork river near Cottonwood Creek. In 1859, he decided to build a permanent ranch. He finished his home in 1862. He convinced other traders to settle near him. This formed the town of Cottonwood, which later became Deer Lodge.
Johnny was successful at first. But when gold miners arrived, he faced problems. He spoke French, but the new people spoke English. He felt he was treated unfairly in business deals. He decided he could no longer succeed there. In August 1866, he sold his ranch to Conrad Kohrs. He sold it for $19,200 and moved back to Canada.
Conrad Kohrs: Montana's Cattle King (1866–1887)
Conrad Kohrs was born on August 5, 1835, in Germany. When he was 22, he became a U.S. citizen. He went to California during the gold rush. Then he moved to Canada. In 1862, he arrived at the gold camps in Montana. He never found gold himself. Instead, he became rich by selling beef to the miners.
Kohrs grew his cattle business very large. He owned 50,000 cattle. His grazing land covered 10 million acres. However, he faced a big problem in the winter of 1886–1887. This winter was very harsh. More than half the cattle in the northwest died. Most ranchers went bankrupt. But Kohrs got a $100,000 loan from his banker. The time of the open range was ending. Kohrs changed his ranching methods and paid off the loan in just four years.
Kohrs and his half-brother, John Bielenberg, started using newer ranching methods. They bought purebred animals for breeding. They also fenced their rangeland and grew food for their cattle. Kohrs became known as "Montana's Cattle King."
Bielenberg helped Kohrs run the Grant–Kohrs ranch. He came to Montana in 1864 when he was 18. He helped with the butcher shop that served the mining camps. Bielenberg was very involved with the horses at the ranch. He bred special horses called "Big Circle" horses. These horses could travel twenty miles in half a day. This was helpful for gathering cattle spread over a huge area. Bielenberg and Kohrs worked together for over 50 years and were very successful.
The End of the Open Range
The winter of 1886–1887 was one of the worst ever in Montana. Ranchers who let their herds roam freely on the open range lost most of their cattle. Up to 90% of their animals died from the extreme cold and lack of food. In Eastern Montana, temperatures stayed at 30–40 degrees below zero for many weeks. By the summer of 1887, many ranchers in Montana had to close their businesses.
Becoming a National Historic Site
In the 1960s, the National Park Service looked for more historic places to protect. The original Grant–Kohrs ranch was one of the places suggested. Con Warren, who owned the ranch then, wanted to sell part of it to the National Park Service. He wanted it to be a historic landmark.
In 1970, an agreement was made to sell the property. The plan was for the National Park Service to manage it as a living ranch. This meant it would still operate like a real ranch. The first purchase included 130 acres of the ranch. In December 1970, the National Park Foundation bought another 1,180 acres. This allowed the National Park Service to take control of the site.
In August 1972, the U.S. Congress approved the creation of the Grant–Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. Its purpose was to help people understand the history of the frontier cattle era. It also aimed to preserve the ranch and share its important story for future generations. In 1972, the National Park Foundation officially gave its parts of the ranch to the National Park Service.
Throughout the 1970s, the National Park Service bought more land from Conrad Warren. They also fixed up parts of the ranch. They added things for visitors, like a visitor center, walking trails, and public access. In 1974, the site became its own unit of the National Park Service. It had its own leader, historian, and budget. A special opening ceremony was held on July 17, 1977, and visitors were welcomed to the new site.
The Ranch Today
Today, the National Park Service runs the Grant–Kohrs National Historic Site. It is a popular place to visit in Deer Lodge, Montana, and tours are free. The National Park Service operates it as a living history ranch. This means they show how ranching was done in the past. They use draft horse teams to cut hay. Blacksmiths on site make horseshoes for the horses. They try to keep all operations as close as possible to how they would have been in the 19th century.
Ranch Map
