Grant-Kohrs National Historic Site

Western edge of Deer Lodge. 849-2070

This ranch was originally settled by Johnny Grant, the proprietor of a local trading post, in 1862. Four years later he sold his holdings to a hardworking German named Conrad Kohrs. The ranch grew to become Montana’s largest ranch boasting more than 10 million acres. Each year between 8,000 and 10,000 head were shipped to market. At one time cattle with the GK brand could be found grazing on open range from the Canadian border to Colorado.

A stroll through the ranch gives you a small feel for what life was like on a frontier ranch in the open range days. Everything here is authentic to the site. Today it is a dynamic living museum with cattle, horses, and chickens. Take the self-guided tour through bunkhouse row, the blacksmith shop, the tack room, the carriage barn and other buildings. There are 90 historic structures in all, and 37,000 artifacts covering 130 years of ranch history. Nowhere is the life of a cowboy preserved so well. There is a visitor center, and the Cottonwood Creek Nature Trail combines a short walk with information about ranching, cattle grazing, and ecosystems. The park is open daily from April through September from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It’s open the rest of the year with reduced hours. There is a modest admission charge.

Colters Run for Life

This Date in History: May 25, 1808

Although this event’s exact date and month remain veiled in mystery, it is known that spring of 1808 holds the infamous story of one of the West’s most famous explorers. On that fateful day in 1808, former Lewis and Clark expedition members, John Colter and John Potts, were trapping beaver on the Jefferson River near Three Forks when a warring band of Blackfeet surprised the two white explorers. In a panic, Potts shot and killed one of the warriors. The Blackfeet were instantly enraged and pumped Potts full of arrows. Watching his friend and business partner die before him, Colter knew his own life might be nearing its end. Although the warriors could have treated Colter to the same fate, they decided to strip Colter naked and give him a headstart as he raced for his life. Colter’s speed was an asset, and he quickly outran all but one of the ensuing warriors. In an act of sheer desperation, Colter turned around on his pursuer, speared him, and then began racing for his life again. Fortunately for Colter, he located some underbrush on the nearby river and concealed himself while the angry Blackfeet desperately searched for him. After the Blackfeet finally gave up their search, the still naked Colter walked over 250 miles through Gallatin Valley and across the Bridger Mountains. Finally, after days of running, the sunburned, starving, and injured Colter found safety at Fort Lisa on the mouth of the Big Horn River.

Bannack State Park

Bannack was the site of the state’s first big gold strike in 1862 and the birthplace of Montana’s government. Gold was discovered in Grasshopper Creek on July 28, 1862. This strike set off a massive gold rush that swelled Bannack’s population to over 3,000 by 1863. The remnants of over 60 buildings show the extent of development reached during the town’s zenith. When the gold ran out, the town died.

Montana’s first territorial capital, was the site of many “firsts” in the state’s history. Bannack had the first jail, hotel, chartered Masonic Lodge, hard rock mine, electric gold dredge, quartz stamp mill, and commercial sawmill. Bannack’s two jails, built from hand-hewn logs, tell the story of the lawlessness that terrorized Grasshopper Gulch and the road to Virginia City. Road Agent’s Rock, just a few miles from Bannack, was the lookout point for an organized gang of road agents, toughs, robbers, and murders. The infamous sheriff of Bannack, Henry Plummer, was secretly the leader of this gang called “The Innocents.” The gang is said to have murdered over 102 men and robbed countless others during the eight months that Plummer served as sheriff. Many of their escapades were planned in Skinner’s Saloon, which still stands in Bannack today. It could not last. Bannack’s lawabiding citizens rose up and organized a vigilance group. In conjunction with a similar group in Virginia City, they quickly hunted down 28 of the “Innocents,” including Henry Plummer, and hanged them on the gallows Plummer had just built.

“The Toughest Town in The West” soon grew quiet due to the reign of the vigilantes and a population of transient gold seekers that left to follow better gold strikes. However, gold mining activity continued for many years. The reputation of Bannack lives on today in Western history and fiction, forming the basis of many Western novels and movies. Many actors in the drama of earlyday Bannack went on to play key roles in Montana history. The mines and placer diggings are quiet now, but the streets of Bannack still echo with the footsteps of those who seek the rich lode of Western history that Bannack hoards like the gold once hidden in its hills and creeks. Over 50 buildings remain at Bannack today, each one with a story to tell…from tumble-down, one-room bachelor cabins to the once-stately Hotel Meade. The diggin’s are quiet now, but the streets still ring with the footsteps of those seeking the rich lode of Western history that Bannack hoards like the gold once hidden in its hills…a moment in time for modern-day visitors to discover and enjoy.

Walk the deserted streets of Bannack, and discover for yourself the way the West really was. Bannack is one of the best preserved of all of Montana’s ghost towns. Bannack is unique…preserved rather than restored…protected rather than exploited.

Reprinted from a Bannack State Park brochure and “The Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia.”

Montana's Scenic Wonder Receives Official Status

This Date in History: May 11, 1910

Encompassing over a million acres of some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery, Glacier National Park finally received Congressional attention after wading through nearly thirty-five years of public appeals. The campaign to set aside this scenic wonder began as early as 1876 when George Bird Grinnell, Editor of Forest and Stream magazine began documenting the area’s beauty in his publication. When the Audubon Society was established in 1886, Grinnell again intervened to promote the area as one worth preserving for future ages. Despite teaming with Theodore Roosevelt the next year in forming the Boone and Crockett Club, Grinnell’s pleas went unheard.

Finally, when the Great Northern Railroad (GNR) headed westward and started planning a route near the grand mountains about which Grinnell had long been exclaiming, national attention was drawn to the matter. Railroad officials saw the establishment of a national park as a lucrative means of driving traffic and profits to their newly established line, and before long, the GNR was on board with Grinnell’s petitions. Finally, on May 11, 1910, President William Howard Taft signed a Congressional bill that created Glacier National Park. As America’s fourth largest national park, Glacier features 1,000 miles of hiking trails, over 200 lakes, and mile after mile of pristine roadless areas.

Southeastern Montana's Agate Hunting Season Begins!

Agate hunting is a popular sport along the banks of the Yellowstone River, and it’s a fun way to spend an afternoon. The agates found in this area are popular worldwide, due to their high quality.

Agate is translucent and often has unique patterns imbedded into the interior of the rock. The outside of the rock is rough, and the rock is usually tan or gray in color. Most of the rocks are found in gravel deposits in the hills surrounding the Yellowstone River and on the gravel beds in the river. The Agate hunting season is from early spring through the fall.

Agate is formed when the igneous rock layer cools and leaves behind gas bubbles. The bubbles are later filled with mineral rich water and silica solution that hardens and creates a colored layer. The layers build up creating the agate. The agates found in Montana are often referred to as Montana Moss Agate or Plume agates.

For more information on where to begin your hunt, contact the local area Chambers of Commerce in southeastern Montana (Baker, Broadus, Colstrip, Ekalaka, Forsyth, Glendive, Miles City, North Cheyenne, Terry, or Wibaux) or call Travel Montana at (406) 444-2654. Guided hunts are also available.

Reprinted from “The Ultimate Atlas & Travel Encyclopedia”

Huckleberries

You won’t get through Montana without seeing huckleberry products. These little gems are made into preserves, candies, syrups, candles lotions and soaps. The huckleberry is very similar to the blueberry, and incredibly sweet and tart at the same time. They have a long history in the northwest. The Native Americans used them as an important source of food, drink, and rich dyes. Because of the huckleberry’s unique flavor and challenge to harvest it has become one of Montana’s hottest commodities and the main ingredient in one of the state’s fastest growing industries.

The huckleberry that grows in the mountains and forests of Montana is special. The berries only grow in the wild on bushes. They won’t bear fruit when transplanted or grown commercially, and availability varies year by year according to the whims of Mother Nature. In order to harvest huckleberries, pickers must go into the high mountain, Montana back country to find the bushes. “Bearing” in mind that huckleberries are a favorite food of grizzly bears, picking these tasty morsels isn’t just hard, but can be darn hazardous.

No one knows just why huckleberry bushes reproduce or what makes one patch of berries good picking one year and not the next. To really enjoy huckleberries for yourself try some of the wonderful products that you’ll see sold throughout the state. During the summer you can often find a special treat of fresh huckleberries for sale at the local farmers markets.

Excerpted from "The Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia". For more information about this book visit http://www.ultimatemontana.com

The Cowboy Wave

Montana is largely rural, and like largely rural states, it is pretty friendly to most who care to be friendly back. When you’re traveling the back roads, particularly the gravel roads, you’ll encounter a variety of waves from passing pickups and motorists.

The most common is the one finger wave, accomplished by simply raising the first finger (not the middle finger as is common in urban areas) from the steering wheel. If the driver is otherwise occupied with his hands or if it is a fairly rough road, you may get a light head nod. Occasionally you may get a two finger wave which often appears as a modified peace sign if the passerby is having a particularly good day. On rare occasions, you may get an all out wave.

The most important things is that whatever wave you get, be sure and wave back.

Excerpted from "The Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia"