The History Of Branding Animals Is Much Older Than The Wild West

According to Wikipedia:

Branding livestock can be traced back all the way to about 2,700 BCE when ancient Egyptians used them to prove ownership.

KEEP SCROLLING to see some of the oldest livestock brands in Montana ⏬⏬⏬

The Romans would sometimes use brands that had magic symbols on them to protect their livestock even more.

Cattle Were Brought To Montana In The 1840's

From the Montana Historical Society:

Even then, cattle marking, branding and tattooing had been going on for hundreds if not thousands of years.

What Are The 10 Biggest Ranches In Montana? Click Here To Find Out

Due to the free range raising of cattle in Montana, branding became very important to thwart cattle rustling, but to ALSO help ranchers know which cattle belong to what ranch when they got mixed up on the range. (Remember, barbed wire wasn't invented until 1867, and barbed wire as we know it wasn't utilized until 1874.)

The Montana Territory Started Keeping Records Of Brands In 1873

The Legislative assembly of 1871-1872 voted to keep a record of brands in Montana in a "book suitable for the purpose, which shall be free to the inspection of all persons interested."-Montana Legislative Assembly

The First Brand Registered In Montana Was On February 10, 1873

Montana Historical Society//Montana Stock Growers Association//https://svcalt.mt.gov/Museum/virtual_exhibit/vex2/3FDE0D08-A9CA-4F10-B200-421680165060.htm//Canva

The State of Montana started recording brands in 1873 and kept recording new brands as applications came in until 1910. In 1911, Montana started registering brands for a ten-year period.--Montana Historical Society

On February 10, 1873, The Poindexter and Orr ranch registered the Square & Compass (a symbol of the Masons) for their cattle ranch. This brand has been in use in Montana since the day it was registered into the books.

What's Your Montana Family Brand?

This is mine, or I should say WAS my family brand. My dad always said Grandpa sold/gave it to someone in the family, but I haven't found out who as of writing the article.

Livestock Brands Collection, Montana History Portal, Montana Historical Society Library & Archives, Helena, MT/ https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/27213//Canva

What's your brand? We'd love to do another article on current brands in Montana with pictures taken by you. Send them to me here

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Check this out: The Montana History Society has allowed me show you some of the oldest brands recorded in Montana history, some registered when the state was still a territory.

Montana Cattle Brands From 1873 To The Early 1900's

Gallery Credit: Tammie Toren

What are the most popular types of cattle in Montana? ⬇⬇

Top 10 Most Popular Cattle Breeds In Montana & The US

We mostly refer to them as just "cows", but there are many different types of those. Here are 10 of the most popular breeds that you can see across Big Sky Country.

Gallery Credit: JD Knight

The 2021 Cattle Drive in Downtown Amarillo

The Downtown Amarillo Cattle Drive is an annual tradition that kicks off the Coors Ranch Rodeo. After Cattle Drive was put on hold during the 2020 pandemic, but this year it came back better than ever.

Gallery Credit: Sarah Clark

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