Last updated: May 20, 2021
Place
Dougherty Wagon
NPS/Grant-Kohrs Ranch
Quick Facts
Location:
Grant Kohrs Ranch
Significance:
Historical Artifact
Designation:
National Historic Site
Amenities
7 listed
Accessible Rooms, Accessible Sites, Cellular Signal, Fire Extinguisher, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Wheelchair Accessible
This Dougherty wagon was purchased by Johnny Grant in 1862. It was shipped up the Missouri River from St Louis, Missouri, to Fort Benton, Montana aboard the steamboat Emilie. When Grant sold the ranch to Conrad Kohrs in 1866, this wagon was included in the purchase and its believed that it was used to carry the newly-wed Conrad and Augusta Kohrs, from Fort Benton to their new home here on the ranch.
The Dougherty wagon was originally designed as a passenger wagon. They typically featured side doors, two or three rows of seats, and canvas or leather sides that could be rolled up with ease. Another feature was that the seats could be folded down to create a flat surface or bed and were often converted into use as an ambulance, especially by the Army during the Civil War. Following the battle of the Big Hole (Big Hole National Battlefield) on the morning of August 9, 1877, this wagon was called into such service and was temporarily used as an ambulance to transport wounded soldiers from the battlefield to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Deer Lodge.
These wagons were also constructed to travel long distances and were desirable for their comfort and safety when riding over rough terrain. The Kohrs family used this wagon for a seven-week tour of Yellowstone National Park in 1883.
There are only a handful of Dougherty wagons known to exist, which makes this wagon a unique artifact of the National Park Service and the nation’s transportation history.
The Dougherty wagon was originally designed as a passenger wagon. They typically featured side doors, two or three rows of seats, and canvas or leather sides that could be rolled up with ease. Another feature was that the seats could be folded down to create a flat surface or bed and were often converted into use as an ambulance, especially by the Army during the Civil War. Following the battle of the Big Hole (Big Hole National Battlefield) on the morning of August 9, 1877, this wagon was called into such service and was temporarily used as an ambulance to transport wounded soldiers from the battlefield to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Deer Lodge.
These wagons were also constructed to travel long distances and were desirable for their comfort and safety when riding over rough terrain. The Kohrs family used this wagon for a seven-week tour of Yellowstone National Park in 1883.
There are only a handful of Dougherty wagons known to exist, which makes this wagon a unique artifact of the National Park Service and the nation’s transportation history.