In 1857 cattle were brought to the area by Johnny Grant who later sold to Conrad Kohrs. He eventually grazed cattle on 10 million acres in four states and two provinces.
The home was sold to the park service by the family in 1972 and then they donated all the furniture, carriages, bedding, dishes and complete cattle records. The park service continues to graze cattle and share all of the for free. This home is furnished as his grandson left it.
We had stopped at a bakery in town for a cup of coffee, a new mid afternoon habit instead of a nap, only to find it closed. So we had campfire coffee in the shade instead.
We learned from the short video how the ranch used so many Belgian horses, evidenced by the wagon and harnesses.
We even know now how a hay stacker works.
I can't imagine working for the park service and standing in front of a hot fire all day but this lady demonstrating the black smith works didn't seem to mind.
A tour of the house was delightful and some nice furniture they did have but we weren't allowed to take photos. I would have built the bunkhouse a little further away. The cow hands had their own shower so they didn't have to go to town and were required to take a bath once a week whether they needed to or not. I can only wonder who checked. Was there a calendar and they put up a gold star?
They closed before we had enough of the tour as there were so many outbuildings with exhibits but it was a stop well worth the visit.
I even learned that there is a bitterroot flower and it is the state flower of Montana. I wonder if they flourish in the Bitterroot Mountains.
The town is full of museums and antiques and one fancy old prison which we did not tour.
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