142 THE PORTRAIT GALLERY 



THE ROUNDUP ON BEAR CREEK 



52. This landscape showing the "Roundup" on the ranch of 

 the Pioneer Cattle Co. in the Bear Creek Valley, Dawson Co., 

 Mont., was presented by Mr. Kohrs (53) upon the occasion of 

 completing fifty years of ranching in Montana, in 1913. 



A PATRIARCH OF THE NORTHWEST RANGE 



53. The grand old man of northwestern cattle progress and 

 prosperity was Conrad Kohrs, president of the Pioneer Cattle 

 Co. of Montana. Mr. Kohrs was one of the leaders in the 

 introduction of the Hereford to the northwest range and wielded 

 an enormous influence in placing beef production on a firm 

 financial foundation. He was born in 1835 in Schleswig-Hol- 

 stein, and came to America about 1850. He first settled in Iowa 

 but in 1863 went west to rise to prominence during the early 

 days of the cattle boom. His original cattle were improved 

 by the use of Shorthorn bulls but with the coming of the Here- 

 fords, he became a firm believer in the use of the Hereford top 

 cross. His original selection of Herefor-ds comprised seven 

 head, secured from the Swan Land & Cattle Co., in 1884. His 

 herd at this time was one of the best groups of non-pedigree 

 Shorthorns to be found in the west. These were accumulatei^ 

 on his Sun River Range and descended from good cattle he had 

 picked up along the ol4 California and Oregon trails. They 

 were first maintained in Deer Lodge Valley but due to the 

 shortness of the pasture, he was obliged to t' ^m in 1878 

 into the Sun River country. In 1879 he branded 4,900 cattle 

 on this ranch. 



When the Herefords were introduced, Mr. Kohrs retained 

 the best cross-bred bull calves for breeding purposes, while the 

 first cross steers gave him great satisfaction. The cattle were 

 earlier maturing than any he had previously had, and he found 



