A Historic Ranch Site & A Historic Town

This amazing ranch commemorates the Western cattle industry from its 1850s inception through recent times. I addition, it is the only U.S. National Historic Site with a working cattle ranch operated by the National Park Service. Ranger + Cowboy= Not-to-be-missed!

Wide open spaces, the hard-working cowboy, his spirited cow pony, and vast herds of cattle are among the strongest symbols of the American West. Established by Canadian fur trader John Grant, and expanded by cattle baron Conrad Kohrs, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site was once the headquarters of a 10 million acre cattle empire.
The open-range cattle industry boomed for only a short 30 years. Railroads became more convenient, homesteaders fenced off land, and ranchers faced loss due to disease, theft, encroachment, overgrazing, and environmental challenges like the Hard Winter of 1886-87. The long trail drives of the Open Range Era were over. This era of ranching helped shape America’s character, and its impact endures. With new technologies and techniques, ranching has brought new ways to raise and market cattle. Ranching continues to feed populations and provide economic opportunity for many.
Established in 1972, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site is the only national park dedicated to this story. The park preserves buildings, furnishings and décor, operations, skills, and the many stories and ways of life connected to this era. Ranch records give an unbroken story of past operations. Though this ranch was only a small portion of the huge cattle empires of the West, the site symbolizes ranching heritage and the evolution of the American West while inspiring future generations.
We delighted in the Ranch House Tour, our chance to get to know the pioneer families who made this house their home. Johnny Grant built the ranch house in 1862 and it was declared by an article in The Montana Post as “by long odds, the finest in Montana.” Conrad Kohrs purchased the house in 1866 and in 1890, he added the brick addition with many innovative amenities.

The house offered a unique look into the lives of both of the families, though it was the Kohrs who turned it from a bunkhouse into a very comfortable home. Based on their spectacular, original furnishings and personal items, ranching was very good to them (and they seemed like wonderful people). Wow.
What a melting pot! Nearly one in four cowboys were of African descent. Born enslaved in Tennessee around 1854, Nat Love wrote one of the few surviving first-hand accounts by a black cowboy. Cowboy Daniel Webster “80 John” Wallace bought a ranch of about 1,200 acres and 600 cattle. Many born into slavery could find new freedom on the range and experienced less open discrimination. Along with Americans and Europeans of Dutch, English, French, German, Scottish, and other backgrounds, the open range became a colorful landscape of people and cultures connected through cattle ranching. I had no idea!


In 1908, the “beaverslide hay stacker” was invented in the Big Hole Valley of Southwestern Montana. This structure consists of a 30-foot wooden frame that supports an inclined plane. Loads of hay are pulled to a height of around 20 feet before dropping through a large gap at the top. With a portable piece of equipment like the beaverslide, hay could be piled in the same fields where it was cut. Because the stacker was made with little more than wooden timbers and metal joiners, it could be easily, quickly, and cost-effectively repaired or replaced. This was a brilliant invention for the arid plains of Montana and something we had never seen before. Steve was intrigued.
The ranch is near the town of Deer Lodge, named after a geological formation which contained saline that created a natural salt lick for the local deer population. Deer and other wildlife would winter in the protected valley as the temperatures in the high country dropped – hence the name Deer Lodge.
Before exploring further, we had lunch at the Broken Arrow Casino & Steak House, located in the heart of historic Deer Lodge on Main Street.

And boy is it historic. From its application for a National Register of Historic Places designation, "The value of the Deer Lodge Historic Central Business District lies not only in its architectural heritage, displaying a wide range of historic architectural styles, but in the fact that it has remained a cohesive commercial district. The downtown district continues to be encompassed by its historic residential neighborhoods and its downtown area industry, which include lumber. Respect for the historic integrity of the downtown district is apparent when looking at the large number of historic buildings that have retained a majority of their original architectural features."
One of the oldest standing hotels, and which exhibits early Western Commercial style features, is the Grant Hotel, constructed sometime around 1908. The hotel once housed commercial space on the main level and sleeping rooms above. In 1910 the "European Café" advertised their location here and stated that they "cater to those who enjoy clean, well cooked and well served food." By 1929, the hotel building housed two stores and a saloon, and by 1944 the name of the hotel had been changed to the Montana Hotel.
The Deer Lodge Hotel, a three-story brick and stone building with two arched open courts on the upper levels, was designed by H.F. Beinke of St. Louis. The building originally housed some commercial businesses, with the hotel occupying the upper two stories. 
It was reported by the local newspaper in February 1911, that the modern hotel would be three stories and that the project was taken on by an incorporated company made up of local and Washington state capitalists. The capital behind the company was $75,000 with Leopold Schmidt, once a brewer in Deer Lodge and a Montana Legislator, the principal stockholder. FYI... Schmidt founded the Olympia Brewing Company in Washington.
Sadly, the once grand dame appears abandoned, though a Save the Deer Lodge Hotel hopefully waves across the hotel's exterior.
There are several prominent landmarks in the central business district, both architecturally speaking and because of their association with people important to the development of Deer Lodge and Western Montana. I especially liked the 1921 grand Beaux-Arts style Rialto Theater (above). All are strong visual anchors to the downtown.


I was intrigued by this house, not because of its architecture but more because the owner's name was stamped in the concrete in front. This residence appears to have been constructed sometime between 1884 and 1888. As early as 1930, the building was owned by Charles E. and Martha Aspling. Maybe that's when sidewalks came to town.
Charles was the editor of the local newspaper and his son, James, also worked as a printer for the same paper. Interesting.
Even history can be found on the side of a building. Rex Flour dates back to the turn of the century. In 1928, General Mills was formed by the merger of five milling companies: Red Star Milling Company, Royal Milling Company (Rex's original company), Kalispell Flour Mills Company, Rocky Mountain Elevator Company, and Washburn Crosby Company. General Mills is mentioned again, below.

Okay, my favorite fun Deer Lodge fact find was about a woman born in this town. It was not a secret that Betty Crocker was a corporate invention rather than a real person, but Deer Lodge native Janette Kelley was the driving force behind the character. She worked with food producers to set up test kitchens, test recipes, find better ways to prepare food and to advise consumers, Kelley was born in Deer Lodge in 1894 (and buried here in 1958).
Kelley was an eminent figure in the home economics profession. Over the course of her career, she planned, equipped and set up the first test kitchens for General Foods, Lever Brothers, and General Mills. While working for the Gold Medal Flour Company, she wrote their cookbook for bread-making. She made the chocolate cake that was the first to be depicted in advertising using illustrations. She is credited with the popularization of the Chiffon Cake, a lighter cake that used oil rather than butter or shortening. What a woman!

When I began this day I never thought I'd hear references about Lonesome Dove, learn about the changes in ranching over the years, eat at a Montana casino, nor meet Betty Crocker. Road trips are like that. And it's best to not plan them too much. When feasible, just let the open road decide your path. It certainly hasn't failed us yet!

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