Very Close to Trouble: The Johnny Grant Memoir

by Johnny Grant, Lyndel Meikle (Editor)

Trader, stockman, and raconteur, Johnny Grant (1831-1907) lived very close to trouble on the wide open Montana-Idaho frontier of the mid-nineteenth century. Grant is memorialized today by the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site at Deer Lodge, Montana.

223 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beauty of this memoir is the straight forward, down to earth narrative. Several years ago my husband and I stopped at the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site near Deer Lodge, Montana. Although I knew nothing about the ranch a brochure and the fact it was a National Historic Site was enough to put it on our itinerary. It was a sunny, warm July Saturday and as luck would have it one of their annual special events - Cattle Branding.

Our visit started with a tour of the ranch house and hearing an overview of Montana cattle ranching in the mid-19th century, the fascinating life of Johnny Grant (who built the house in 1862), and Conrad Kohrs who purchased the ranch in 1866, enlarged his cattle empire to 10 million acres and became known as Montana's Cattle King. After hearing of the many exploits, adventures, wives and children of Johnny Grant I purchased this memoir. It has resided on a "To Read" shelf until now.

Grant's remembrances cover the period between 1847 and 1867 as an early pioneer of western Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. He tells of trading along the immigrant trails, buffalo hunts, prospectors, vigilantes, hangings, cattle ranching, horse thieves, friendships with Indians, months-long purchasing trips to St. Louis, riches and poverty, elation and heartbreak - a look back into real Western history.

[Kathleen Callum · Rating 5 out of 5]

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