Near Deer Lodge in Powell County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Two Immigrants Shared an American Dream
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022
1. Two Immigrants Shared an American Dream Marker
Captions: (upper left) Grant was born at a Hudson Bay Company post in Alberta, Canada. His mother died when he was very young. He and his siblings were sent to Quebec, where their grandparents raised them.; (lower center) Quarra was one of several women Grant married from different American Indian tribes of the Northwest. These bonds helped to forge alliances with each tribe.; (bottom center) Before coming here, Kohrs traveled across the United States taking various jobs. He worked as a butcher in New York and sold sausages in New Orleans. He also shipped logs down the Mississippi and worked in a distillery.; (top right) Kohr's work at sea took him to Brazil, Cuba, and islands off the coast of Africa.
John Francis Grant
Grant chose this ranch site for its rich grasslands, abundance of water, and the sheltered valley. He completed this house in 1862 as a trading post and family home. He first traded cattle with emigrants on the Oregon Trail to build up a large herd. He later made a hefty profit by selling meat to miners during the Gold Rush.
New settlers brought racial discrimination and shady business practices. Discouraged by these changes, Grant sold the ranch to Conrad Kohrs in 1866 and moved his family back to Canada.
Carsted (sic) Conrad Kohrs
Kohrs left Germany at 15 to work at sea as a cabin boy. Lured west by gold, his biggest profit came from selling beef to miners. In time, he built a business that shipped 10,000 head of cattle a year to the Chicago stockyards. His herds grazed over 10 million acres, which are now part of four states and two Canadian provinces.
Two years after Kohrs bought this ranch, he married Augusta Kruse, who made the house a home. Kohrs served as a territorial and state senator and a founding member of the Montana Stockgrowers Association. He lived here until his death in 1920.
Erected by National Parks Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture
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Location. 46° 24.481′ N, 112° 44.299′ W. Marker is near Deer Lodge, Montana, in Powell County. Marker can be reached from North Main Street (Business Interstate 90) near Warren Lane, on the left when traveling north. 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Vaquero vs. Cowboy (within shouting distance of this marker); From Range to Market (within shouting distance of this marker); Equal in the Saddle (within shouting distance of this marker); Ranching Traditions - A New Generation (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Beaverslide Haystacker (about 300 feet away); Winter of 1886 (about 300 feet away); The Long and Short of Cattle Breeds (about 400 feet away); Home on the Range (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Deer Lodge.
Also see . . .
1. John Francis Grant -- NPS pamphlet for Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. Educated in French, Grant often found himself at a disadvantage in a community where business contracts were written in English, not always by honest men. Road agents threatened his life and taxes were levied by the
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022
2. Two Immigrants Shared an American Dream Marker and Kohrs Ranch House
2. John Francis Grant -- Louis Riel Institute. This article is download from the Meti Museum.
On returning to Fort Hall his father set him up with a trading outfit. He initially lived with a Shoshone woman, partly to cement trading relations with that group. This became a pattern with him and he is known to have had relations with four different Native women who bore him at least twelve children. (Submitted on November 12, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
3. Carsten (sic) Conrad Kohrs -- Grant-Kohrs Foundation. Cattlemen who plunged into this seeming get-rich-quick scheme received a sharp lesson in the Hard Winter of l886-87. In just a few short years, the range had become overstocked and overgrazed. Drought and wildfires further depleted the range and an unusually hard winter caused staggering losses. This was the end of many a stockman's dream. For Conrad Kohrs and his half-brother, John Bielenberg, it was a sign that the old ways had to change. (Submitted on November 12, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.)
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022
3. Kohrs Ranch House
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022
4. Kohrs Ranch House
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022
5. Kohrs Ranch House
Photographed By National Park Service
6. John Francis Grant
Photographed By National Park Service
7. Carsted Conrad Kohrs
Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 12, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 77 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on November 12, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
