Grant-Kohrs Ranch Historic Structures Report

A. The Bunkhouse (Historic Structure 2, including Historic Structure 17 and Non-Extant Structure F)

The key question involving Historic Structure 2, the bunkhouse, concerns its age. Local tradition states that the structure predates the John Grant house, Historic Structure 1, by a year or so, and that Grant and his family lived in the bunkhouse prior to occupying the home. Quite likely this is true, but there is no definitive answer to the question.

The deed describing the sale of the property from Grant to Kohrs does not define the buildings. Later documents, such as the homestead grant that Conrad Kohrs received for the land (discussed in Chapter II of the Historic Resource Study), also fail to describe any structures. Evidence for the existence of the building is somewhat sketchy until it appears in pictures.

Presumably, the structure shown to the north of the main house in the 1865 Granville Stuart drawing (discussed in Chapter I of this study) is an early form of what is now Historic Structure 2. That dates it to 1865. The only link to an earlier date would he based on the recollections of John Bielenberg. Bielenberg, Conrad Kohrs, and John Grant all lived in Deer Lodge at the same time, and there is no doubt that Bielenberg and Grant at least knew each other and that Bielenberg saw the ranch before Kohrs purchased it in 1866. Bielenberg did recall that Grant had built the structure before the large house was built and housed his family in it during construction of the home. And, in the course of normal conversation, he passed that information on to young Con Warren when he visited Uncle John at the ranch. Warren's belief that the building dates to 1862, then, is based on conversations with a contemporary of John Grant. [1] Since the ranch house dates from 1862, with a completion date of 1863, this evidence tends to corroborate local tradition. So until such time as documentary evidence to the contrary surfaces, a date of 1862 for construction of the bunkhouse should be used, based primarily on Con Warren's recollections of John Bielenberg's comments.

Once the illustrations of the Kohrs-Bielenberg ranch begin to appear, the existence of the structure is a proven fact. The 1883 Stoner and 1884 Leeson drawings show the bunkhouse and the 1907 map places it precisely. The series of illustrations shows the sequence of development of the structure as well. From its construction in 1862 until 1883, little is known about the building. But the 1883 illustration shows what appears to be the same structure as seen in the 1865 Stuart drawing: a log house, low, with a flat, sloping roof. The 1884 Leeson drawing confirms this. But both the 1883 and 1884 illustrations also depict a large structure to the east of the bunkhouse and with its front facade on a line with it. This is a buggy house, a separate building, but tied in with the bunkhouse.

The buggy shed, now Historic Structure 17 (in part, at least), first appears in 1883 in the Stoner lithograph. It might possibly date from the late 1870s, but the exact date of construction is unknown. When it appears in the 1883 Stoner drawing and again in the 1884 Leeson illustration, it is a board and batten, flat-sloped roofed building just east of the bunkhouse. But on the 1907 Milwaukee Road map of the ranch it has become part of the bunkhouse complex, which in 1907 was over 200 feet long. So in the intervening years from 1884 to 1907 the bunkhouse was extended east and more rooms were added; by 1907 the bunkhouse and buggy shed were connected as one building, hut had different rooflines.

The next step came in 1907 or 1908, prior to the laying of tracks for the Milwaukee Road. About three fifths of the eastern end of the buggy shed was cut off from the remainder of the building and moved down into the complex of structures west of, and on a lower elevation than, the ranch house, near the west corrals.

Thus Historic Structure 2 as it stands today comprises what were once two separate buildings. The easternmost part of the structure has been removed and moved to another part of the ranch. (On the historic base map, the area once occupied by the easternmost portion of the buggy shed is labeled Non-Extant Structure F.)

The 1907 map shows the uses of the various sections of the long and narrow building. The western two thirds is labeled "Bunkhouse," the next section "Shop," and the easternmost "Buggy Ho." J. H. Gehrmann's recollections generally support this, but add greater detail on the uses of rooms in the bunkhouse. Gehrmann's descriptions of the rooms, again from west to east, are "Store Room," "Cowboy's Kitchen," "Cowboy's Dining," "Cowboy's Bunkhouse" (sleeping room), and "Home Stable" (buggy house). [2]

The bunkhouse continued to serve that function during the Warren era, with one of the rooms converted for use as Con Warren's office following improvements made in 1935. Running water was added during the Warren period, and subsequently a shower room on the eastern end of the long structure. [3] Warren moved his office across the tracks to the low building sitting next to his home on the west. Thereafter the bunkhouse served only to store ranch equipment.

B. The Garage/Blacksmith Shop (Historic Structure 3)

This white wooden frame structure is the most modern in appearance at the site. Its construction dates from 1935, when Con Warren began introducing automotive equipment to the ranch. It housed a truck and miscellaneous ranch equipment, and also provided a needed area for shoeing horses. Until 1975 it had undergone no major modifications, but at that time the garage portion was insulated and heated to allow adaptive use as a stall for the park's fire truck.

C. The Coal Shed (Historic Structure 4)

The date of construction of the coal shed is not known exactly. Presumably it was erected about 1915, a date generally accepted for the introduction of the coal furnace to the house. It does not appear on the 1907 Milwaukee Road map. The small white frame building is still in use as a coal shed.

D. The Ice House (Historic Structure 5)

The 1883 Stoner illustration and the 1884 Leeson drawing do not show this structure because of their angle of view. Local tradition gives it a construction date of ca. 1880. The log construction of this two-floored structure and the need for ice in the house tend to confirm an early construction date. The building is depicted on the 1907 map as an "Ice House," with dimensions of twenty-six by twenty-two feet. The Gehrmann letter shows the ice house and labels it as such, confirming its existence in 1904. [4] Following the introduction of other means of obtaining ice, and after repairs under Con Warren's direction in 1935, the ice house began to function as a tack room. The lean-to on the south, added in 1912, served as the Chinese cook's summer sleeping room.

E. The Granary (Historic Structure 6)

The granary, one of three at the ranch and the most modern, is located where the Chicken House (Non-Extant Structure G) stood on the 1907 map. Erected in 1935 of wooden frame materials and painted white, it served the Warren Ranch as a feed storage facility and as a feed mixing location. The feed mixing equipment is still intact inside the structure. [5]

F. The Draft Horse Barn (Historic Structure 7)

The draft horse barn dates from the 1870s. Constructed of log and frame materials, it is a typical example of the utilitarian design of the ranch service buildings. It has outlasted many of its contemporaries and remains virtually unaltered today. The construction date of 1870 is a traditional one, but the log construction and building techniques evident in the barn tend to corroborate it. The building appears on the 1907 map and measures thirty-six by thirty-one feet.

G. The Privy (Historic Structure 8)

This is one of two privies still at the site. It was constructed as a Works Progress Administration project (WPA) in 1934 in payment for Warren's housing several WPA workers at the ranch. For this reason this "one-holer" is known irreverently as the "Roosevelt Building." It sits on a site previously occupied by Non-Extant Structure E, "Cow Barn."

H. The Dairy Building (Historic Structure 9)

Painted white, this frame structure was begun in 1932. During the decade of the 1930s Con Warren provided milk to the Deer Lodge Creamery, and this building served as the processing center. The structure appears externally as it did during its active years, but the interior was modified somewhat in 1975 to permit adaptive use as a park maintenance building.

I. The Oxen Barn (Historic Structure 10)

This log barn sits just to the north of Historic Structure 7, the draft horse barn, and apparently dates from the 1870s as well. It appears on the 1907 map with dimensions of eighteen by twelve feet. It is currently in disrepair, leaning toward Historic Structure 7, with its south end touching Historic Structure 7 at the roofline. Whether the overall condition of the building is as severe as it seems visually is not known, but it requires considerable cosmetic repair at the least as soon as possible.

J. Horse Barn (Historic Structure 11)

This long and low frame building, currently painted white, was reputedly erected on the orders of John Bielenberg about 1880. This date coincides with some of the early large-scale horse raising activities on the ranch. It appears on the 1907 map as a "Horse Stable," measuring 110 by 15 feet. Con Warren resided the unpainted building with white boards early in his tenure as manager, about 1933 or 1934. [6] Because of its traditional name. "The Bielenberg Barn," it is locally believed that the structure may have housed John's racehorses.

K. Machine Shed (Historic Structure 12)

This structure stood directly in the path of the proposed railroad on the 1907 Milwaukee Road map. Labeled as an machine shed on that map, it was moved directly west about 1907 or 1908. It sits parallel to its original position and remains on the bluff area overlooking the lower river bottomland of the western pastures. It has been primarily used throughout its history to store farm equipment and supplies. The date of construction is traditionally set at 1890.

L. Cow Shed (Historic Structure 13)

This L-shaped cow shed was constructed after the 1907-8 dislocations brought about by the construction of the Milwaukee Road, so it probably dates from about 1908-9. In the early 1930s Con Warren had a tin roof put on it. It housed feed, equipment, and cattle, and on the south and east faced into a corral containing Historic Structure 41, a squeeze chute. The building has an wood frame with log vertical supports.

M. Stallion Barn (Historic Structure 14)

This stallion barn, like others at the ranch, housed only one animal. Primarily of log construction, it dates from the 1870s, according to tradition. It does not show on the 1907 map, however, but this may well be due to the limited area that the map portrays.

N. The Cow Barn (Historic Structure 15)

The thoroughbred barn is one of the most imposing structures on the ranch. It has had an active history since its construction ca. 1883. In 1941 the building underwent considerable modifications, and it was changed again in 1954. During its long life, the barn, which is shown on the 1907 map as measuring 130 by 48 feet in dimension, had many uses. Initially, as its name implied, it served to house a large number of thoroughbred horses. One of the stalls was used for foaling mares. Draft horses as well were kept there during the Warren years. In 1941 the barn underwent considerable renovation when a concrete post foundation was installed and a new floor emplaced over the dirt one. Work in 1954, again directed by Con Warren, added electricity and improvements for the Hereford bulls he kept in the barn. During this period tent sales pavilions were erected on the south side of the building, and animals were taken out there one by one for show. This structure now houses many of the wheeled vehicles in the park's collection and many large pieces of ranch equipment as well. During the 1941 remodeling, the building, which had always been red, was painted white. When Con Warren constructed his large barn in 1954 to the east of the historic complex, just on the east side of the railroad tracks, (this is still his ranch today), he converted the large building into an implement shed, and in and it is used as such today. (This much modified building is discussed in greater detail in the Architectural Data section.)

O. Leeds-Lion Stallion Barn (Historic Structure 16)

This barn is named for one of the prized Shire draft horses at the Kohrs-Bielenberg Ranch early in the 20th century. Its original construction dates from the 1870s, however. Presumably it housed other stallions before Leeds-Lion. It is of log construction and unaltered.

P. The Buggy Shed (Historic Structure 17)

This structure is that part of Historic Structure 2 that was cut off about 1907 or 1908 and moved down to house wheeled vehicles for the ranch. Its former location is now labeled Non-Extant Structure F.

Q. The Granary (Historic Structure 18)

This wooden structure is one of the older ones on the ranch and dates from ca. 1890. It rests on skids and can be moved when necessary. Constructed of thick board and batten, it features external studs and smooth internal walls for greater efficiency in grain storage. While it is a unique building upon casual examination, it is typical of older style granaries in the Yellowstone and Gallatin valleys to the south and east, as well as in the Deer Lodge Valley.

R. Stallion Barn (Historic Structure 19)

This log and frame building dates from the 1870s, traditionally, and housed a single stallion. Modified greatly in the 1920s with a wall dividing it in half, it served as the initial garage and as a blacksmith shop (with a portable forge) until 1935 when the present garage/blacksmith shop was built.

S. Privy (Historic Structure 20)

This moveable frame privy formerly stood at the west end of the ranch house, but was moved next to the stallion barn (Historic Structure 20) early in the 20th century. The date of construction is traditionally given as about 1900 or possibly slightly earlier.

T. The Brooder House (Historic Structure 21)

Used to electrically incubate eggs for hatching, this was one of the improvements Con Warren added during the 1930s. This particular facility, a white frame structure, was built in 1935.

U. The Chicken House (Historic Structure 22)

The chicken house was constructed at the same time as the brooder house. when Con Warren was upgrading the facilities at the Kohrs-Bielenberg Ranch. This building housed the laying hens, and, like the brooder house, is a white frame structure. It is surrounded by a coyote-proof fence.

V. The Granary (Historic Structure 23)

Originally believed to date from the mid-1930s, this structure actually is much older, having been purchased and installed at the ranch around 1910, making it the only metal building dating from the Kohrs-Bielenberg period. It is round, pre-manufactured, and designed to he assembled on the site chosen by the buyer. The name of the manufacturer is marked on the inside of the structure.

W. The West Corral Buildings (Historic Structures 24-31, 43-47)

All of these structures are utilitarian, and were constructed to house or provide feeding and working facilities for the commercial cattle raised during the Warren years at the ranch. While each is discussed separately as to construction date and materials, each must be considered as part of the whole cattle raising operation at the Warren ranch. The west corrals lie in the lowlands west of Historic Structure 15 and a few hundred feet north and south of that building. They are a series of small corrals where different types of cattle or different sexes of the same breed could be fed and controlled.

X. The Stock Shelter (Historic Structure 24)

Of log and frame construction, this open-fronted shelter was built in 1933 for cows and calves feeding in the west corral associated with this structure. The south side is open, while the north, west, and east sides were closed to provide winter shelter.

Y. The Stock Shelter (Historic Structure 25)

Quite similar to Historic Structure 24, this too is open sided to the south and provided shelter for the stock in the feeding corral adjoining its open side. Presumably this shelter was erected in 1933 or 1934, as were Historic Structure 24 and most of the other shelters in the west corrals.

Z. The Hay Roof Barn (Historic Structure 26)

This hay roof barn, originally constructed in 1933, has fallen in. Some of the walls remain to show its dimensions. Like the stock shelters and feed racks and all of the buildings and structures associated with the corrals, it is of frame and peeled log construction, and was built as the need arose. The buildings in the corrals and in the west feedlot as well are of informal design and local materials, the "ranch-vernacular" style.

AA. The Stock Shelter (Historic Structure 27)

Built in 1933, this is another of the frame stock shelters open to the south associated with a portion of the west corrals.

BB. The Feed Storage House (Historic Structure 28)

This frame structure was erected in the fall of 1933 as part of Con Warren's modernization of the ranch. It was used to store feed grains.

CC. The Stock Shelter (Historic Structure 29)

As with many of the other shelters in the west corrals, this stock shelter, open to the south, was constructed in the fall of 1933.

DD. The Stallion Barn (Historic Structure 30)

This barn, while associated with the west corrals, predates the 1933 construction of that area by many years. It is believed to date from the 1870s, and was used to house one stallion. It is of frame construction, but is presently in poor condition. Whether or not it was put to a different use once it was surrounded by the west corrals is not known.

EE. The Feed Storage House (Historic Structure 31)

This feed storage facility dates from 1932 and sits between two of the long feed bunkers associated with the west corrals. Feed stored in it could be readily transferred to each of the bunkers. Due to its location along the fence line, it could easily receive feed grains being driven in by wagon or truck for storage there.

FF. The Feed Racks (Historic Structures 43 and 44)

Slightly different in overall dimensions, these two feed racks served the same purpose. Freestanding, like tables, these wood frame feed racks were constructed about 1942.

GG. The Feed Bunkers (Historic Structures 45-46)

These feed bunkers date from ca. 1932, the general date of construction or the west corrals under Con Warren's managership. They are attached to the south fence of the west corral and are flat, tablelike structures with wooden ground linings on which the hay for feeding stood.

HH. The Squeeze Chute (Historic Structure 47)

This squeeze chute of frame construction now stands alone near the south fence line of the west corrals. It once straddled a fence line dividing the largest of the west corrals in half. Cattle being fed and housed in the corral could be worked from either of the two divisions within the corral and channelled into the other if necessary. The fence it was once associated with was vital its location, although it is a freestanding structure now.

II. The West Feedlots (Historic Structures 32-34, 32-53)

The west feedlots appear to be a continuation of the west corrals across (west of) the Kohrs-Manning Ditch. However, a more than casual examination reveals that the west feedlots are open and do not contain the various subdivisions that characterize the west corrals. The feedlots contain two divisions each, with appropriate feeding and cattle working facilities. There are, in addition, fewer structures associated with them.

JJ. The Stock Shelter (Historic Structure 32)

This frame shelter was built in 1934.

KK. The Stock Shelter (Historic Structure 33)

Built in 1934, this frame building is open to the south, but has walls on the north, west, and east sides.

LL. The Storage Shed (Historic Structure 34)

This storage shed, of wood frame materials, is a portable building, constructed ca. 1930. Presumably it was moved into the area when the west feed lots were constructed.

MM. The Feed Bunker (Historic Structure 32)

The feed rack is constructed of frame and steel piping, but is essentially the same building as Historic Structures 45 and 46. Like the other two feed bunkers, it lines the south fence where the feed could be dumped into the bunker from a wagon or truck on the road parallel to the fence line.

NN. The Squeeze Chute (Historic Structure 53)

This was built in 1934 of wood frame materials, and stands adjacent to Historic Structure 34, a feed storage building. Its location and that of the feed storage building next to it strongly suggest that a fence once was associated with the two structures. This would have allowed the cattle to be worked and transferred to another area within the feedlot. The feed could quite easily have been dumped into either lot if the fence had been there.

00. The Feed Bunkers (Historic Structures 48 and 49)

These two feed racks, quite similar to Historic Structures 45 and 46, line the north fence of two of the corrals in the west corral complex on the north side of Johnson Creek. They are of frame construction and were built in 1933.

PP. The Cattle Scale (Historic Structure 33)

Con Warren ordered construction of this structure in 1935. It was made of concrete, wood, and structural steel. Cattle were weighed on it, passing from one corral to another behind the bunkhouse. The scale was also used as a dipping vat, the cattle being passed through the solution filling the concrete pit. Cattle were also doctored in the vat at times, although most such chores could best be performed in a squeeze chute.

QQ. The Feed Rack (Historic Structure 36)

The area north of the bunkhouse is divided into numerous small corrals, and this pole and frame feed rack for holding hay is attached to one of the fences in the easternmost of these small corrals. It was first constructed in 1930, replacing one of similar design at the same location dating from the Kohrs and Bielenberg period.

RR. The Feed Rack (Historic Structure 37)

This feed rack looks quite similar to Historic Structure 36 but is much older, dating from about 1907. Made of poles spaced roughly fifteen inches apart, it also is attached to the fence to hold hay

SS. The Feed Rack (Historic Structure 38)

This feed rack dates from the same period as Historic Structure 38, but is somewhat longer. Both are attached to the fence running west of but parallel to the twin railroad tracks.

TT. The Manure Pit (Historic Structure 39)

The cement manure pit is about ten feet square. It was emplaced in order to meet the health requirements imposed on the dairy operation. It could be flushed out with running water, which carried the effluents downhill into the pastures as fertilizer.

UU. The Beef Hoist (Historic Structure 40)

Shaped like an inverted U and composed of poles, a chain, and a pulley, this structure was used to hoist the slaughtered beef and dress the carcass for consumption. Although it has undergone considerable routine repairs in its lifetime, it has not changed in form, and dates from ca. 1880.

VV. The Squeeze Chute (Historic Structure 41)

This squeeze chute made of wood frame materials is associated with the pasture and corral in front of Historic Structure 13, the cow shed on the north end of the ranch. Like the others, it was used to "work" cattle, that is, to immobilize them for branding, dehorning, or application of medication.

WW. The Feed Rack (Historic Structure 42)

This log and pole feed rack is one of the older ones at the ranch, dating from about 1900, and was used to hold hay for the horses in the field associated with Historic Structure 14, the stallion barn.

XX. The Flume, Active (Historic Structure 50)

This frame flume carries the waters of the Kohrs-Manning irrigation ditch over Johnson Creek, and was constructed in 1974 to replace Historic Structure 51.

YY. The Flume, Inactive (Historic Structure 51)

This frame flume, built in 1947 and discarded in 1974, is badly deteriorated, and is about eight feet west of the currently active flume.

ZZ. The Bridge (Historic Structure 55)

This bridge carries the roadway along the south fence line of the west corral and west feedlots, and crosses the Kohrs-Manning ditch. It was constructed of timbers, with a heavy frame planking bottom, in the late 1930s.

AAA. The Bridge (Historic Structure 54)

This bridge carries a roadway connecting some of the lots in the west corrals over a branch of Johnson Creek. It has partially fallen in. Constructed of wooden timbers and heavy wood planking, it was built about 1930.

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