An early cattle empire. The National Park Service preserves artifacts, buildings, and activities of this legendary frontier cattle operation.

In the 1850s, Johnny Grant, a Canadian trader, settled in the Deerlodge Valley to trade and ranch. Along with his Bannock Indian wife, Quarra, and their large family, he prospered. In less than a decade he was running thousands of cattle, which marked the beginning of range cattle business in Montana Territory.

Conrad Kohrs, a butcher and German immigrant, bought the ranch in 1866. By the turn of the century the home ranch had grown to 25,000 acres and the ranching operation controlled more than a million acres of land in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado and Canada. During a 25-year period ending in 1913, between 8,000 and 10,000 cattle were shipped to market by train each year.

Before his death in 1922, Conrad Kohrs reduced the size of the ranch. Operations were taken over by his grandson, Conrad Kohrs Warren in 1932. He was widely known for his Hereford cattle and Belgian horses. It was through the efforts of Warren and his wife, Nell, that the old buildings, their furnishings, and historic documents were preserved.

In 1972, Congress set aside the ranch as a National Historic Site for the purpose of providing "an understanding of the frontier cattle era of the Nation's history." The site is preserved as a working ranch by the National Park Service.

Today, the 1,500-acre ranch still has more than 80 standing structures, from bunkhouse row to the 23-room ranch house, carefully preserved with the original Victorian furnishings. There's also a tack room, ice house, barns, blacksmith shop, wagon collection, chickens, cows, and horses.

Demonstrations of ranching activities take place throughout the year. There is no established schedule for these events but you may get a glimpse of these activities on your visit to the ranch.

General Information

Self-guided maps of the ranch are available, or a guide may be available to escort your group. A staffed visitor center houses historical photos depicting the frontier cattle era and a bookstore.

Round trip from parking lot to the ranch house is 3,000 feet over a paved trail. The walk around the ranch is approximately 1,500 feet. A wheelchair and special parking facilities are available for those who need assistance and for buses.

Open year-round, 9:00am to 5:00pm. Summer, 8:00am to 5:30pm. Special group tours and programs by arrangement. Groups are encouraged to inform the ranch of their visit in advance. Minimum time: One hour. Admission: Free.

Full services for travelers available in nearby Deer Lodge.

For more information:

Superintendent
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
266 Warren Lane
Deer Lodge, MT 59722
406-846-2070, ext. 224
Website: http://www.nps.gov/grko/home.htm

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