Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site: Cultural Landscape Analysis, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, National Park Service

Division of Planning, Intermountain Regional Office

In 1972, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site was established “to provide an understanding of the frontier cattle era of the Nation’s history, to preserve the Grant-Kohrs Ranch, and to interpret the nationally significant values thereof for the benefit and inspiration of present and future generations.” The cultural landscape is located in Deer Lodge Valley, near the northern Rocky Mountains in Montana. The Grant-Kohrs Ranch operated during the late 1800s and early 1900s, becoming one of the best known in the region with holdings of 30,000 acres. During this period, 8,000 to 10,000 head of cattle were shipped to market from the ranch each year. By the early 1920s, all the ranch holdings had been sold except for about 1,000 acres around the ranch home. Similar to other ranch complexes of the era, the main structures are clustered around water but on a bench above the floodplain. As ranching activity changed throughout the years, buildings were built or altered to suit changing needs. Around 1860, John Grant built two small cabins at the site near a spring. His new house was built nearby in 1862. Throughout the next several decades, Kohrs added an ice house, multiple barns for horses and oxen, and a coal shed. In the 1930s, a dairy barn, garage/blacksmith shop, chicken house, squeeze chutes, and several other amendments were made to the complex. The natural features of the landscape also reflect its use as a ranch. It historically contained several different zones, all of which were used for grazing. In the late 1800s, the meadow areas were irrigated to increase hay production. Additionally, species were introduced that were believed to be better for forage, and the meadows were fertilized in an effort to support expanding ranching operations. The main ranch complex is still largely intact and continues to provide a view of development at the Grant-Kohrs Ranch. At the time of this report, there were 53 buildings and/or structures from the historic period, representing the spatial arrangement in response to the landscape, the changing use of materials and construction styles over the years, and the suggestions of land use and ranching activities. The earliest buildings (1862-1885) are of log constuction. Buildings built between 1875 and 1907 demonstrate board and batten exteriors, and a third type of construction (1932-1935) is frame construction with horizontal siding. Views around the ranch are still largely underdeveloped, contributing the interpretation of the frontier cattle era. This Cultural Landscape Analysis of the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site describes the physical and historical elements that indicate the to the site’s significance during the frontier cattle era.

Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site: Cultural Landscape Analysis, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site, National Park Service

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