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Grant-Kohrs Ranch U.S. Department of the Interior National Historic Site National Park Service

Honorary Rancher Program
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Become an Honorary Rancher!

Requirements: 

Attend at least 2 interpretive ranger programs and complete the corresponding activities. Those activities are designated by the ranger hat. 

Complete at least 3 additional activities designated by either the cowboy 

or the ranger hats. We wear them both here at Grant-Kohrs Ranch.*

When you have completed all of the requirements, bring your booklet to the visitor 

center to receive your Grant-Kohrs Ranch patch and a copy of the answer key. 

*The scavenger hunt on pages 10-13 will count as 2 of the 5 total required acvities.

The establishment of Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic 

Site was authorized by Congress on August 25, 1972 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 Honorary Rancher program was designed to provide a deeper understanding of the history 

of this ranch, as well as the evolution of ranching, through a series of enjoyable activities. Upon 

completing the requirements, each participant will receive a Grant-Kohrs Ranch patch. Enjoy!
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Many people, some famous and others relatively unknown, developed a passion 

for the National Parks and were instrumental in the preservation of these national 

treasures. 

The National Park Service

Charles Young

 John Muir

George Wright

Theodore Roosevelt

Enos Mills

Marjory Douglas

Stephen Mather

Freeman tilden

Who were they? 

1. I am considered the “Father of the National Park Service.” I promoted the idea that the wilderness has a 

spiritual as well as economic value and should be preserved.

2. On June 8, 1906, I signed the Antiquities Act into law, which established the first, general, legal protection 

of cultural and natural resources in the United States. I used the Antiquities Act to create the first 18 National 

Monuments. 

 

3. As an editorial columnist for the Miami Herald, I took on the fight for conservation long before it was 

popular. I fought to preserve the Everglades and its waterways for most of my adult life. 

4. I was the first director of the National Park Service. By using the same marketing skills that made me a 

millionaire at Thorkildsen-Mather Borax Company, I gained public support for the National Parks.

5. I was appointed acting superintendent of Sequoia and General Grant National Parks, thus becoming the first 

African-American superintendent of a National Park. 

6. I was called the “Father of Rocky Mountain National Park” for my efforts to preserve the area where I had 

guided wilderness excursions, around Long’s Peak, as a National Park.

7. I believed so strongly that there should be an established, wildlife survey program in the National Park 

Service, that I paid for it myself until I could prove the program’s value. For this effort, I became known as the 

“Father of Natural Resource Management.”

8. I am known as the “Father of Park Service Interpretation.” With the publication of my book, Interpreting 

Our Heritage, in 1957, I gave form and substance to the profession of interpretation, through which we are able 

to gain meaning and connection with our National Parks and Historic Sites.
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Ranch House

 Write the letter of the room where the artifact is displayed on the line below the artifact. 

A: Sitting Room B: Dining Room C: Bathroom

D: Kitchen & Pantry E: Office F: Bielenburg Bedroom

 Which of the items above directly relate to ranching? _________________________________

1 ___ 

2 ___

4 ___

3 ___ 5 ___

6 ___

7 ___

8 ___

9 ___

10 ___

11 ___
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Chuckwagon

Across

1. the coffee that won the west

5. carried enough supplies for a______ 

7. oxen were too

9. ________ starter

10. long range cattle drives developed shortly after______

12. cattle drive danger

13. _________ oven

14. goods stored in the bed of the wagon

15. “Only a fool argues with a skunk, a mule or the_______.”

17. the range opened up when the Native Americans were 

 contained on reservations and these were nearly extinct

19. ___________ belly

21. buckaroo came from this Spanish word

23. Invented by Charles_________

24. most important item mounted on the chuck wagon

26. cowboy mattress

27. cowboy in charge of horses

28. cowboys fought over who would grind the________

29. Cattle outfits first used a two wheeled cart pulled by__________

Down

2. _______ chips

3. pots and pans were stored here

4. 1/3 of cowboys were Mexican 

or___________

6. cowboy salary per month $_____

8. for medicinal purposes only

11. Outfits worked together in the spring on 

the___________

15. makes it a chuck wagon

16. biscuits and__________

18. eatin irons

20. cowboy dessert

22. cattle drives were either to pasture 

or_______

25. used _______ instead of tar for axle grease
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Wagon Tour

Canvas dam with cut-out Headbox at river Water flowing into river

Irrigation water flowing into ditch Snow melting into stream

Why is irrigation necessary? 

Are the hayfields native or non-native grasses?

What kind of grass is native to the Montana prairie? 

Irrigation is very important. It can increase crop production 4 to 10 times. The diagram below represents the steps in the 

irrigation process. On the line below each picture, write the number indicating which step the picture represents.
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The Cowboy

History

The cowboy has captured the American imagination, first in late nineteenth century dime novels and then in 

the movies. However, Hollywood’s portrayal of cowboys has not always been historically accurate. For each 

statement below, if the statement is historically accurate, place a check in the history column. If the statement 

is from Hollywood, place a check in that column. 

vs.

1. A cowboy’s most prized possession was his horse.

2. Cowboys were mostly middle aged white men.

3. Many ranches had cooks who were of Chinese or other foreign 

 descent, like Hop-Sing on Bonanza.

4. Many cowboys were illiterate.

5. The life of a cowboy was filled with adventure, freedom and camaraderie.

6. Cowboys were frequently in gunfights with Native Americans.

7. Cowtowns, like Dodge City, were known as rough places with 

 seedy individuals. 

8. The cowboys wore a bandana because they could be used as a 

 dust screen in the summer and as a barrier against the cold in the 

 winter. 

9. Ranchers were greedy, land grabbing, questionable characters. 

10. Montana cowboys and ranchers fought with the sheep herders 

 over the range. 

11. A guitar was often carried in the chuckwagon for the cowboys 

 so they could play and sing around the campfire in the evening.

12. One of the cowboy’s most indispensable tools was the lariat. 

13. Many cowboy terms and tools, such as the lariat and chaps came from the Spanish vaqueros. 

14. Most cattlemen became successful and wealthy, cattle barons. 

15. When cowboys had the occasion to attend a dance, there were 

 plenty of women to go around. 
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Blacksmith Shop

WHEELWRIGHT

FARRIER

BLACKSMITH

BLOWER

TONGS

ANVIL

FORGE

COKE

BELLOWS

CROSS PEEN 

STRAIGHT PEEN 

SWAGES

FULLER

GILES OLIN

COAL

REPAIR

DRAWING

HORN 

WORKBENCH

VISE 

HAMMER

J B G S K H E S I V K W M X K 

N Q W J J U P W K A S T G G I 

U L O R E M M A H N A H H T H 

C D R A W I N G S V G M H O Q 

N C K O C O K E P I B G R J X 

L E B G I L E S O L I N I F H 

N E E P T H G I A R T S A O L 

L M N P E Y M C W F W R P R Y 

C Y C E S R K L B O R C E G F 

A L H G D S E L L I O B R E J 

T L N U M E O L E A O L V O A 

C O F I H W E R L S T J C D H 

T P T W E B Z V C U P S W X N 

Y H M R O I H G S N F C A K Y 

O K U D C C K T F Z G R K O S 

1. This blacksmith shop was built in 1935, during the transition from _______________ power to 

_______________ power. 

2. What is the difference between a blacksmith and a farrier?

3. What are some reasons that ranches had their own repair shops instead of taking the equipment to town to be 

repaired? 

4. How is the repair mentality of a blacksmith different from most of society today?

5. Blacksmithing is a skilled trade that requires an extended apprenticeship. Why wasn’t there a full time 

blacksmith in this shop? 

 Circle the blacksmithing terms in the word search below. The words written may be in any direction.

 Answer the questions below on the lines provided. 
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Breeds of Cattle

 Each group of traits below applies to one of the cattle breeds that were historically raised here at Grant-Kohrs 

Ranch. On the line above each group of traits, write which of the cattle breeds it describes. 

Longhorn

Hereford

Shorthorn

• Introduced to Montana by settlers

• Could be used as beasts of burden

• Could be milked

• Could be used for beef 

• Favored among crossbreeds because they 

weighed more at 4 years old (market age)

• Hardy and adaptable

• Evolved from Spanish cattle

• First trailed to Montana by Nelson Story in 1866

• Leaner than other breeds

• Weighed less at market time than other breeds

• Experimented with in Montana by Conrad Kohrs 

as early as 1879

• Kohrs believed they were more willing to forage 

for grass

• Kohrs felt they wintered better than other breeds

• Carried more meat than the other breeds at 

market time
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Ranch Scavenger Hunt

1. Imagine millions of acres of unfenced and unclaimed grassland open to anyone who wanted to graze livestock. Shortly after the Civil War, in the late 1860’s, the bison were nearly extinct and the Native Americans 

were mostly confined to reservations. The Great Plains and Rocky Mountain regions were open to grazing and 

cattlemen started to seize the opportunity to expand their herds. What is the era from the late 1860’s through 

the 1890’s called? 

 This scavenger hunt is designed to further your understanding of both the ranch and the frontier cattle era. 

The answers are located in the interpretive exhibits throughout the ranch. 

2. Several conditions, including overgrazing, falling prices (which caused steers to 

be held over), and cattle that were not acclimated to the harsh climate, caused many 

cattle herds to be wiped out and started the decline of the open range cattle era. 

What is this event called? 

3. Horses were perhaps more important to the people during the early days at the ranch than cars are to us today. 

The only way to get around, other than walking hundreds of miles, was by riding or by buggy. Why is there an 

enclosed stall in the back of the Buggy Horse Barn?

4. Life on a cattle ranch is characterized by long days, hard work and battling the elements. Here at the 

prosperous Kohr’s Ranch, there was a chore boy to take care of some of the work that needed to be done. What 

were 3 of the chore boy’s chores?

5. Johnny Grant settled here because of the relatively mild winters and the location between military forts at 

the time. One of the original cabins built by Johnny Grant was used by Conrad Warren as

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6. The open range gave us one of our iconic, American heroes - the cowboy. Most of them were honest, 

courageous, loyal, and more interested in seeking adventure before they grew old than in making money. How 

old were the cowboys?

7. The life of a cowboy was often monotonous, especially on the trail where they worked long hours in bitter 

cold or extreme heat with little sleep. While at the ranch, they welcomed the comforts of life in the bunkhouse. 

Besides using practical jokes and wry humor to relieve the monotony, name 3 activities cowboys did in the 

evening.

8. Cowboys worked for $30-$45 dollars per month and their keep, which left something to be desired on the 

trail with a steady diet of biscuits and beans. In the bunkhouse, they got a considerably better diet, but what 

would cowboys get if they were late for dinner?

9. Arbuckles’ was the first company to roast coffee beans before shipping them, coating 

them in an egg white and sugar mixture to seal in the flavor and aroma. They became 

so popular that cowboys didn’t know any other brand existed. Describe the bunkhouse 

coffee grinder. Where is it? What does it look like?

10. Despite Hollywood’s portrayal of cowboys as mostly being caucasion, nearly 1/3 of 

cowboys were of __________ or ____________ descent, like Nat Love. 

11. While the cowboys were excited to be able to eat beef here at the ranch as opposed to 

a steady diet of beans on the trail, the Kohrs family liked to have a little variety in their 

diet. In the shed at the end of bunkhouse row, what was raised in the boxes? Have you 

ever tried it? 

Continue to next page
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12. Weather in Montana can be extreme. Recalling the winter of 1873, Conrad Kohrs writes, “It was a bad winter with periods of intense cold....My bother and I were out one day....The breath froze on our lips and we had 

trouble keeping our eyes open. All the quicksilver thermometers in Deer Lodge were frozen and the way we 

found out how cold it was, was by Chris Wibeau’s thermometer at Silver Bow which registered sixty below.” 

In - 40° weather, how many wheelbarrows full of coal would it take to keep the pipes from freezing in the ranch 

house?

13. Ranching evolved with the rest of society, with new inventions and machinery taking the place of horsedrawn implements. Which piece of equipment was pulled by the first tractor on the ranch and used by Conrad 

Warren in the late 1950’s?

14. Conrad and Augusta Kohrs were married in Iowa in 1868. 

They traveled by steamboat up the Missouri River to Fort Benton 

and then traveled to the ranch in this wagon. It was originally 

owned by Johnny Grant and later used as an ambulance to carry 

wounded soldiers to Deer Lodge after the Battle of the Big Hole in 

August 1877. Which wagon is it?

15. One of the reasons Johnny Grant settled in the Deer Lodge Valley was that, due to the mountain 

terrain, the annual snowfall was relatively light. However, in the surrounding areas there could be much more. 

According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Butte recorded 95.6 inches of total snowfall 

in 1911. More than a couple of feet of snow made it difficult for horses to pull wagons. Sleighs were needed to 

glide over top of the snow and different versions of over-snow vehicles were developed. What is the difference 

between a bobsled and a cutter?

Continue to next page
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16. The California Cart was the primary mode of transportation for Kohr’s half-brother 

and business partner. According to Con Warren, his great-uncle always kept a gun under the seat cushion. What was his name? Why do you think he carried a gun?

17. Kohrs’ grandson, Con Warren, followed in his father’s footsteps and attended medical school. He finished 

the first year before deciding he would much rather come back and follow his grandfather’s example instead. 

Why did Con Warren have a lab in the Thoroughbred barn?

18. In 1884, while serving on the first executive committee of the Montana Stockgrower’s Association, Kohrs 

became friends with this man. Kohrs represented Montana at the Republican National Convention in Chicago 

in 1904, where he nominated his friend as the party’s candidate for President of the United States. He later 

attended a luncheon hosted by this man at the White House. Who was his friend? 

End Scavenger Hunt

19. This gentlemen was of Metis, French Canadian, and Native American 

descent. He encouraged traders of Mexican, Metis and other descents to settle in 

Deer Lodge. He stated, “I always minded my own business, treated everybody 

alike, rich or poor, white or black, and after I became rich, an Indian was just as 

welcome to my house as a white man.” Who is he? 

20. This gentlemen got his start as a cabin boy on a ship when he left Germany 

at the age of 15. As an adult, he made his way to California during the Gold 

Rush and then followed the gold to Montana, where he found work as a butcher. 

He soon opened his own butcher shop in Virginia City. Shortly after, he became 

involved in the cattle business and later was known as one of the true cattle 

barons of Montana. Who is he?
The Code of the west

1.Live each day with courage

2.Take pride in your work

3.always finish what you start

4.do what has to be done

5.be tough, but fair

6.when you make a promise, keep it

7.ride for the brand

8.talk less and say more

9.remember that some things aren’t for sale 

10.know where to draw the line

I, ________________________________, as an honorary Rancher of Grant-Kohrs Ranch, will strive to live 

my life by the Code of the West. I will continue to explore, support and protect our National Parks and Historic 

Sites so future generations can enjoy them. 

Signature Date Park Ranger Signature Date

 

- From the book Cowboy Ethics, text by James P. Owen, photography by David R Stoecklein