Conrad Kohrs
Encyclopedia
Conrad Kohrs, born Carsten Conrad Kohrs (August 5, 1835 – 23 July 1920) was a Montana
cattle rancher (cattle baron
).
He was born in Holstein
, a province that was ethnically and culturally German
and part of the German Confederation
but ruled at the time in personal union
by Denmark
. At age 15, he went to sea and, over the next 17 years worked as a seaman; a butcher; a sausage salesman; ran log rafts down the Mississippi; and worked in a distillery. He became a U.S. citizen in 1857.
Hearing of gold in California
, he traveled first there, then to the Fraser River
country of Canada
, and finally to the gold camps of Montana Territory
in 1862. There, he began to build a fortune, not from mining for gold, but from owning gold camp butcher shops and selling beef to miners.
In 1866, he began a ranching empire by purchasing a ranch near Deer Lodge from former Canadian fur-trader Johnny Grant. Initially, he used it to hold the beef that was supplying his own operations, but eventually built the operation up until, at its peak, it owned 50,000 head of cattle, grazing on 10 million acres (40,000 km²), spread across four states and two Canadian Provinces and shipping 10,000 head of cattle annually to the Chicago stock yards
. After the disastrous winter of 1886-1887, during which tens of thousands of head of cattle were lost and which began the death of the open range style of ranching, Kohrs and his half-brother, John Bielenberg, were among the first to recover and adopt more modern methods of ranching; buying purebred breeding stock; fencing ranges; raising and storing feed, etc. Thus he earned the nickname, "Montana's Cattle King".
During his lifetime, he also became involved in politics, first on the local and later on the state level. He was elected a county commissioner in 1869, serving a two year term. He was a member of the Territorial Assembly of 1885 and, in 1889, he was elected a member of the original Montana State Constitutional Convention (there was another in 1972). He also served as President of the Montana Stockgrower's Association. He died on July 23, 1920 on the home ranch at Deer Lodge.
The home ranch near Deer Lodge, Montana
, was held by the family until 1972, when his grandson sold it to the National Park Service. It is now the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
.
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
cattle rancher (cattle baron
Cattle baron
A cattle baron is a historic term for a person who possessed great power or influence, generally as owner of a large ranch and many cattle, specifically beef cattle. A cattle baron in the United States was sometimes called a cowman or a rancher...
).
He was born in Holstein
Holstein
Holstein is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is part of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of Germany....
, a province that was ethnically and culturally German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and part of the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
but ruled at the time in personal union
Personal union
A personal union is the combination by which two or more different states have the same monarch while their boundaries, their laws and their interests remain distinct. It should not be confused with a federation which is internationally considered a single state...
by Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. At age 15, he went to sea and, over the next 17 years worked as a seaman; a butcher; a sausage salesman; ran log rafts down the Mississippi; and worked in a distillery. He became a U.S. citizen in 1857.
Hearing of gold in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, he traveled first there, then to the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
country of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and finally to the gold camps of Montana Territory
Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...
in 1862. There, he began to build a fortune, not from mining for gold, but from owning gold camp butcher shops and selling beef to miners.
In 1866, he began a ranching empire by purchasing a ranch near Deer Lodge from former Canadian fur-trader Johnny Grant. Initially, he used it to hold the beef that was supplying his own operations, but eventually built the operation up until, at its peak, it owned 50,000 head of cattle, grazing on 10 million acres (40,000 km²), spread across four states and two Canadian Provinces and shipping 10,000 head of cattle annually to the Chicago stock yards
Union Stock Yards
The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meat packing district in Chicago for over a century starting in 1865. The district was operated by a group of railroad companies that acquired swampland, and turned it to a centralized processing area...
. After the disastrous winter of 1886-1887, during which tens of thousands of head of cattle were lost and which began the death of the open range style of ranching, Kohrs and his half-brother, John Bielenberg, were among the first to recover and adopt more modern methods of ranching; buying purebred breeding stock; fencing ranges; raising and storing feed, etc. Thus he earned the nickname, "Montana's Cattle King".
During his lifetime, he also became involved in politics, first on the local and later on the state level. He was elected a county commissioner in 1869, serving a two year term. He was a member of the Territorial Assembly of 1885 and, in 1889, he was elected a member of the original Montana State Constitutional Convention (there was another in 1972). He also served as President of the Montana Stockgrower's Association. He died on July 23, 1920 on the home ranch at Deer Lodge.
The home ranch near Deer Lodge, Montana
Deer Lodge, Montana
Deer Lodge is a city in and the county seat of Powell County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,421 at the 2000 census. The city is perhaps best known as the home of the Montana State Prison, a major local employer...
, was held by the family until 1972, when his grandson sold it to the National Park Service. It is now the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
Established by Canadian fur trader Johnny Grant, and expanded by cattle baron Conrad Kohrs, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site commemorates the Western cattle industry from its 1850s inception through recent times. The park was created in 1972, and embraces 1,500 acres and 90 structures. The...
.