| The Grant, Kohrs, Bielenberg, and Warren families tell the story of Western ranching, from the herds trailed into the valley in th 1850s, to the last cattle sold in 1988. They represent the cattle industry from its inception through modern times.
John Francis Grant [1831-1907] a French-speaking Canadian did not intend to become a rancher. He followed his father's footsteps and began trading with westbound immigrants for their trail-weary cattle near present-day Pocatello, Idaho. An enterprising businessman, Grant increased his herds by exchanging two exhausted animals for a fit one. He trailed his ever-growing herds north to the sheltered valleys of Montana. By 1862 Grant had close to 4,000 head of stock, mostly good English breeding stock.
By today’s standards, Grant had an unusual and extended family. His several wives represented the different Native American tribes with whom he traded. Quarra was Bannock; Clothild was Blood, and Isabel was Blackfoot. Grant wrote lovingly of his children; twenty-one of his own, and several he casually adopted. In 1867, Grant and his family moved to Carmen, Manitoba. They were accompanied by other Canadian, Mexican and American traders and their families.
|
