Just when the practice of  branding cattle as a means of identification was begun, we have not been able to learn. The custom may date back to medieval times, or no further back than the landing of the Pilgrims. But one thing is certain; it will be continued as long as cattle raising is followed as a livelihood.

Now and then, various officers of Humane Societies attack the practice as being quite cruel, and the packers tell us that many hides are badly damaged by brands. But, it should be remembered that the pain caused by the application of the branding iron is of short duration, and the practice is absolutely necessary as a means of establishing ownership.

The cattleman who should attempt to raise cattle on the range without branding them would soon be the victim of thieves, would not be able to identify his cattle if they strayed to other pastures or were driven away, and would not be able to give them as security for a loan through the usual channels because of the difficulty in identifying them.

Branding calves

The most desirable brand is one of simple design that can be easily and quickly placed on the animal, can be seen at a distance and will not be confused with a brand of a neighbor.

The pioneer cattlemen of Texas had no difficulty in finding new brands which would not be confused with other brands used on the same range. The cattle on the different ranges were rounded up at intervals and each calf was branded with the brand of the cow it followed, whether the owner was present or not.

As the country settled up, many new brands very similar to ones already in use made their appearance, and cattlemen frequently found their cows dead on neighboring ranges with their calves in new brands. Investigation disclosed that organized bands of thieves were holding secret roundups and moving the stolen cattle to other ranges.

On Feb. 15, 1877, a band of pioneer stockmen met at Graham, Texas, to discuss means of breaking up these gangs of cattle thieves, and on the following day organized the Stock Raisers Association of Northwest Texas.

The territory was that section in Texas between the Red River and Colorado River, which was divided into three districts. Members were appointed in each district to supervise the movement of herds, and all stockmen were instructed not to drive cattle from one district to another until the three nearest stockmen inspected the herds and cut out all strays.

It was further agreed that no one should drive, gather or molest cattle in any district except the one in which his range was included until the cattle were rounded up by roundup captains appointed for that purpose and the ownership to cattle clearly established. A list of the names, brands, marks and ranges of members was printed and distributed among the membership so that the ownership of strays might be easily determined.

From the inception of the organization there was a marked decrease in unlawful traffic in cattle in this territory. The fame of the organization spread and other districts asked the privilege of memberships. The requests were granted and the membership increased rapidly.

With the increased membership and development of trade by the “trail men,” it was found necessary in 1883 to employ special inspectors to devote their entire time to the inspection of herds going out of this territory. These men were stationed along the trails and inspected most of the herds while they were moving; but sometimes they found it necessary to demand that the herds be held long enough to allow careful examination of doubtful animals.

The inspection system

Many of these strays were held for the next herd of the owner, but most of them were turned back on the range and remained there until the spring roundups. In a few instances the strays were sold to the owner of the herd with which they were found and continued their journey up the trail. This system of inspection resulted in the recovery of thousands of cattle annually for members of the association and prevented wholesale cattle stealing.

As the railroads built into the state, the trails closed, and packing houses were erected in the Southwest, the inspectors were transferred to the markets and important shipping points. Others were appointed to work the range.

The membership grew rapidly and the work became more important. In 1893 the office of the association was moved from Graham to Fort Worth, and the name of the organization was changed to the Cattle Raisers Association of Texas. A legal department was next added to aid in the prosecution of those charged with the theft of cattle belonging to members. And gradually attention was directed to the various other problems of production, transportation, finance and marketing.

Today, as in years past, brand inspection is an important branch of the work of the association. More than 50 competent inspectors are stationed at the markets and important shipping points. Their duty is to see that no cattle belonging to members of the association are marketed by any person other than the owner.

Each inspector is furnished a brand book containing the name, address, range, brands and marks of each member. The book contains approximately 15,000 brands, which are listed in the following order: alphabetically, numerically and by characters. Some of the brands have been recorded with the association for more than 30 years and in use by the same families much longer.

Most common brand

The most common brand is the letter “O,” which is recorded singly and in combination 850 times. These books are made by hand under the direction of Miss Florence Colston, who has had charge of the brand department of the association for 25 years and who knows the brands and range of more cattlemen than any other person.

The range inspectors are required to cover a large territory and find it necessary to travel much by car, horseback and on freight trains. All shipments from the territory of an inspector must be carefully inspected and the strays belonging to members of the association held to be sent back to the range of the owner or sold to the shipper.

When the range inspector finds it impossible to inspect all shipments from his territory, as sometimes happens when shipments are made from two stations at the same time, he wires the market inspectors to make a careful inspection of the shipment missed. He is also required to investigate reports of cattle stealing in his territory and to otherwise assist in protecting the interests of the members.

No less strenuous is the task of the market inspectors, who must be on the job at daybreak and see as many of the cattle as possible before they start to the weighing scales and packing houses. When a stray belonging to a member of the association is found, the commission company is immediately instructed to hold the proceeds until an investigation can be made; the animal is weighed separately and a report is forwarded to Secretary Spiller, who communicates with the shipper and the party for whom the animal is claimed, in order to determine ownership.

Frequently, the investigation discloses that the animal has been sold—sometimes stolen, but more often simply shipped through mistake. These investigations require an average of six to eight letters each, and in many instances 50 or more must be written about a single report before the ownership is decided.

Some idea of the volume of this correspondence alone may be gained from the statement that approximately 4,000 cattle are held annually by the inspectors. They also see many strays which they have no authority to hold for the reason that the owners are not members of the association.

Field inspectors are employed to travel over the range country and investigate reports of cattle stealing and other irregularities. Much of the time is devoted to the development of testimony to be used in the prosecution of those charged with theft of cattle belonging to association members.

Theft deterrent

This work requires sound judgment, familiarity with court procedure and a knowledge of human nature which makes it possible to ferret out clues which would be overlooked by the inexperienced man. The association attorneys assist in the prosecution of parties charged with theft of cattle belonging to members, and it has been proven many times that thieves show a preference for cattle not listed with the association.

During the past few years there has been a tendency toward the use of smaller and more simple brands, which practice is to be encouraged as long as there is no danger of confusion with the brands of others in the same section. Very often, however, a cattleman will adopt a brand of one or two letters of the alphabet and place it on his cattle, only to find a short time afterward that the same brand is used by another party in a neighboring county.

When a member records a brand with the association, no other member is allowed to record the same brand in the same territory. The records show numerous cases where the same brand is recorded by members living in widely different sections of Texas and adjoining states, and there is little danger of confusion unless cattle from these different sections are shipped to neighboring pastures in Oklahoma or Kansas, or sold on the markets and shipped back to the range.

Years ago it was often easy to determine the ownership of cattle in such cases by flesh marks and the quality of the different herds, but this has become much more difficult due to the general improvement of the herds and similarity in color, breeding and quality. Likewise, cattlemen are not now so strict as formerly about requiring purchasers to rebrand the cattle, and this too often results in confusion and delays in determining the ownership of strays.

While no record of the number of cattle recovered previous to 1883 is available, it is interesting to not that approximately 110,000 cattle have been recovered for members by association inspectors, and it is recognized that the presence of the inspectors has been even more valuable in discouraging cattle stealing. This is recognized as the most efficient and thorough system of inspection in existence.

Cattlemen should remember that under the revised statutes of Texas, a brand which is not recorded with the county clerk of the county in which the brand is used, is not in civil suits recognized in law as evidence of the ownership of the animals upon which the brand is used.