The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-09-03
0HE design of his cattle brand is
'as sacred to its owner as the
coinage of the realm is to a ma
tiOnal government. The Only diff

coinage u tHc realm Is 10 q ia
tional government. The only diff
ference between a c0unterfeiter
Of money and a brand changer is that
the counterfeiter creates q surplus
value; while the brand changer, by
working over a cattle brand, changes
the identity and possession of real
values. Range wars have been fought
over the sanctity of brands. Falsifica-
ton of brands has justified many a
frontier "necktie'' party; where proof
was not entirely complete, an edict of
Punishment was obeyed. or else
Many a brand changer mas been con-
victed by the mute evidence of a small
piece of coWhide turned wrong side
out, at the cost Of an animals life, to
show that a brand had been "doctored."
For old and new brand burns, going
entirely through the hide, are easily
detected that way. Such cases called
fer summary courts of the range and
quick execution.
It was the history of all of the west
ern states in the old range days that
the effort of managing a ranch eff
ficiently and profitably was sided by
an equally arduous effort to protect
the herds from "owlhoot' crews and
the brand doctor.
Granville Stuart, in his description
of Montana early range days tells how
a brand changers operations were cur
tailed by lethal threats: Near our
home ranch we discovered one rancher
whose COWS invariably had twin calves
and frequently triplets, while the range
cows in that vicinity would persist in
hanging around this mans corrals, en-
vying his cows their numerous child
rem and bawling and lamenting their
own childless fate. This state of affairs
continued until we were obliged to
call around that way and threaten
to hang the man if his COWS had any
more twins"
the work of the range Vigilantes in
cleaning out the "owlhoot' gangs
along the Missouri and Musselshell
rivers who, coupled with the Indian
depredations, cost the pioneer ranchers
from three to five percent OF their
herds each year.
Brand Changer Prospered
Despite a large pile Of statutes made
in range states in the past t%wo-thirds
of a century to protect brands and
marks, coupled with rigid inspection
brand changer and the rustler pros
pered more or less as long as the range
days continued. And today the motor
truck and good roads are good allies
of the rustler in making quick disposal
far away, Of small numbers of live
stock. The old problem is still present,
but in a new dress.
AS the open range disappeared and
more intensive operation and better
everything about the cattle industry
has changed, except the use of burned
brands to mark ownership. In recent
years a chemical brand has been tried:
but all indications point to burned
brands as the best protection the
stockman will have for generations to
come, so far as the western states
are concerned.
And burned brands are older than
modern civilization.
EgyptologiStS have discovered brands
on the mummies of the sacred bulls
of the Pharoahs. buried in the royal
tombs with their owners. For what
reason and to what extent branding
was practiced Is mere speculation. Per-
concerning only the sacred bulls; may.
be it was to mark only the property Of
royalty to discourage the greed OF
ancient cattle rustlers.
Burned brands next appear in Spain,
again probably as the prerogative OF
the nobility, used to identify the
entries from the herds Of the great IN
the bull ring. Spanish noblemen burned
cattle, often covering the whole side
Of the crttter with the brand.
Branding came to Mexico with the
Spanish Conquistatores, and here for
the first time, probably, 1t was used as
q means Of Identifying ownership
where the herds Of many men ranged
together: Into the territory which later
became Texas and California the Mex
lean herds drifted as they increased.
Large Herd
AT about the beginning Of the nine
jteenth century Don Luis Terrazas'
herd covered the greater part Of the