Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site is located in western Montana and both commemorates and celebrates the western cattle industry. During the mid to late 1800s, settlers brought cows to the open plains of Montana and the surrounding area because of the rich grazing areas. Many of these settlers did not even own land, but engaged in open grazing throughout the land. Conrad Kohrs, however, slowly built up both his cattle and his land holdings until he owned millions of acres and thousands of cattle. During the winter of 1886-1887, harsh conditions drove many cattlemen out of business, while Conrad Kohrs adapted his methods to become a more modern rancher.

The National Park site preserves a portion of Kohrs’s land, along with his lovely farmhouse and the many outbuildings that made up the working ranch. Visitors are able to walk the grounds and explore the different buildings, many of which include descriptive plaques that explain what life would have been like and what techniques were used at different times. The buildings also housed a variety of farming implements.

In addition to all of the sites to see at Grant-Kohrs Ranch, the National Park Service maintains the land as a working ranch. When we visited, the ranch was having an event that showed life as a cattleman or woman for visitors. Although we were not able to go on a tour of the farmhouse, we enjoyed our visit to Grant-Kohrs Ranch and found it interesting and informative.