Artist: Robert Wadsworth Grafton (1876–1936)
Carsten Conrad Kohrs
KOHRS, CARSTEN CONRAD (1835–1920), inducted by 1920
“Montana’s Cattle King,” Conrad Kohrs, was born in Holstein, Germany, joined a ship’s crew at age fifteen, and eventually made his way to America in the 1850s. Kohrs headed west, following the gold prospecting opportunities, and was hired to butcher the cattle driven to feed the miners in the camps. He recognized the potential of selling beef and establishing ranches in this new territory. In 1865, Kohrs purchased a ranch near Deer Lodge, Montana, and eventually grew his herd to 50,000 head, grazing across ten million acres. At his peak, he shipped 10,000 head of cattle annually to Chicago. After the devastating winter of 1886–1887, Kohrs, president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, helped lead western cattlemen away from open range ranching. He established a new model for a successful modern operation based on purebred stock, fencing, and raising and storing feed.
Source: Saddle & Sirloin Guidebook 2026, p. 124