German immigrant Conrad Kohrs [1835-1920] ran away from home at 15 to sail the world as a cabin boy. Gold lured him to California, Canada, Idaho and Montana. The young man arrived in Montana on foot, with only his clothes and bedroll. Finding employment as a butcher's assistant, he eventually owned several butcher shops in different gold camps. Raising beef to supply his shops was the next logical step. In time, he shipped over 10,000 head of cattle a year to Chicago stockyards. In partnership with his half-brother John Bielenberg, he became the 'Cattle King of Montana.' Born in Hamburg, Germany, Augusta Kohrs [1849-1945] immigrated to Iowa in 1866. At 19, the young bride moved to the Deer Lodge ranch. Her first duties included fighting bedbugs, milking cows, making soap and candles, and feeding family and hired help. As the family and its fortunes grew, Augusta created a fine home and garden, and hosted many eastern and European visitors. A governess cared for her children Anna, Katherine and William. In 1901, the family moved to Helena, keeping the ranch house nearly unchanged as a beloved summer home. The death of Kohrs' only son and heir, William, in 1901, and the fencing of the open range had a direct impact on the family. Their fortunes already secured, Kohrs and Bielenberg sold off their holdings. They kept only 1000 acres around the home ranch; an insignificant acreage in the arid west. Kohrs died in 1920. Augusta continued to visit the ranch into the 1940s. She passed her love of the home ranch on to her granddaughter-in-law, Nellie, and great-granddaughter, Patricia.