Near Deer Lodge in Powell County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Good Fences Make Bad Neighbors?

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022

1. Good Fences Make Bad Neighbors? Marker

Captions: (background photo) Setlers taking the law in their own hands cutting 15 miles of the Brighten Ranch fence in 1885. Copyright by S.D. Butcher, Kearney, Neb.; Fake News A close look at these so-callled "wire-cutters" reveals props made from thin stakes of wood. The photographer apparently staged this photo in order to depict the elusive wire cutters in action. Also, the handwritten caption says the men were "settlers," when it was actually cattlemen who broke the law by cutting fences.; (right-side, top to bottom) Barbed wire fence; Jackleg fence; Picket fence.

Inscription. The Homestead Act of 1862 and the Desert Land Act of 1877 allowed private land ownership. Homesteaders had to build fences to keep out the open range cattle. Their work became easier when the 1874 Glidden patent lead to the large-scale production of barbed wire.
Cattlemen had been using the open range for many years and needed the land for grazing. In some areas of the West, range wars erupted and cattlemen would cut the fences homesteader built.
The increased number of settlers and the building of fences contributed to the end of the open range.
The fence in front of you is a traditional jackleg fence. How many other types of fencing can you find on the ranch today?

Erected by National Parks Service.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Law Enforcement • Man-Made Features.

Location. 46° 24.415′ N, 112° 44.251′ W. Marker is near Deer Lodge, Montana, in Powell County. It can be reached from North Main Street (Business Interstate 90) near Warren Street, on the left when traveling north. The Grant-Kohrs Ranch

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National Historic Site parking lot is on the left side of North Main Street, just north of Deer Lodge. From there, one must walk to the ranch buildings. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 266 Warren Lane, Deer Lodge MT 59722, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically outhwest Montana, in Gold West Country, in Mining Country. It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: "...but of lasting peace, let them kill, skin and sell until the buffaloes are exterminated. (within shouting distance of this marker); Beaverslide Haystacker (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Winter of 1886 (about 400 feet away); On the Ranch (about 400 feet away); Feeding a Hungry Nation (about 400 feet away); Two Immigrants Shared an American Dream

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022

2. Good Fences Make Bad Neighbors? Marker

(about 400 feet away); Vaquero vs. Cowboy (about 600 feet away); From Range to Market (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Deer Lodge.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022

3. Good Fences Make Bad Neighbors? Marker

Note second marker in the shadow at the lower right.

Grant - Kohrs Ranch image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022

4. Grant - Kohrs Ranch

as been designated a
National Historic Landmark
This site possesses national significance
in communicating the history of the
United States of America
1960
National Park Service
United States Department of the Interior

Credits. This page was last revised on November 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 209 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 11, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.