Cattle Branding in Texas
By CHRIS GODBOLD
Curator of Collections
Cowboys have branded cattle in Texas since it was a Spanish colony.
Early Texan colonists used initials, numbers or pictures on their brands. Brands were used to mark ownership of livestock. Ranchers could claim any non-branded livestock found on their property. Texas counties began registering brands in the days of the Republic. Fort Bend County was registering brands and earmarks as early as 1838. Harris County began even earlier with records dating back to 1836.[1] The state of Texas formalized the recording of brands with county clerks in 1848.
No law regulated where the brand was placed on the animal. It became customary among cowboys to brand cattle on their left hip, probably for ease of reading the brand.[2] Brands are read from top to bottom and left to right. In addition to the letters or numbers used, the position of the characters, which each had names, are also found in brand names. For example, a leaning letter is called “tumbling” while a horizontal letter is labeled “lazy”.[3] Sometimes elaborate brands would be created to deter others from “burning the brand” or changing the brand to claim ownership.[4] Some ranchers branded their horses with the same brand as their cattle while others used different brands for different animals.
Ranchers also cut marks in the ears of cattle to identify them. These marks were also registered with the County Clerk.
Branding and marking cattle still goes on today in modern cattle ranches.
[1] Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. “,” https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/auc1.html (accessed May 3, 2010).
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Reeves, Frank Sr., “Story of Cattle Brands” in A Century of Texas Cattle Brands, Fort Worth: The Fair Publishing Co., 1936, 17.
