Romance of Brands

A liberal reward will be paid for the return of any strays to my ranch. I also wish it understood that no “monkeying” with my stock will be tolerated, and any person who seeks, off of my herd, to illegitimately increase his own, will have the hot soup of justice everlastingly pumped into him.

Romance OF BRANDS BY OREN ARNOLD AND JOHN P. HALE

IN THE CITIES YOU CAN hear that a branding iron is a metal tool which cowboys use for torturing cows. In truth, a branding iron is forged not of metal but of sentiment. Far beyond its routine use for marking cattle is its importance as a symbol of empire. It is, verily, a scepter, owned proudly by the greatest saddle knights of all times.

The design it burns serves for identification of livestock, yes. But back of that design may be a story of amazing heart interest. All of the legend and lore of the rangeland is reflected in our cattle brands. It is said that in time a rancher's brand is stamped indelibly not only on his cattle but on his horses, wagons, cars, gates, doors, windmills, bedspreads, lampshades, jewelry, and reputation. It is cer tainly true that almost every cattle brand has some kind of “story” behind it; a true story of hope and ambition maybe, or of love or hate, success or failure, generosity or greed. In short, the study of cattle brands is a rich field of Americana, far greater and deeper than we ever realized until we explored it preparatory to writing a book.

Consider, for instance, the young Tormeys, who came to Arizona in a covered wagon many years ago. Bride and groom, they found a spot that suited them and they set up a home there. Young Tormey was a strong man but a devoted one. He loved his Nancy better than anything else in this life and he recorded that love when he chose a cattle brand: His Two Hearts brand was never “famous,” as brands go. But it lived for years, and its history sings with sweetness and drama as well. Once a leering gambler belittled it, made an insulting remark about Tormey and his “love.” In a matter of seconds Tormey killed him. Once an Apache Indian was about to tomahawk Tormey. Nancy his wife shot the Indian to death from her front door. In due time the man Tormey died, and Nancy survived him, but almost her last act was to embroider the beautiful Two Hearts Brand on bed covers for her grandchild.

A true story not of love and gentility but of extreme violence is to be found in the notorious Hash Knife brand. It is said that meaner men and meaner cattle wore that brand than any other in Arizona's history. It was owned by the Aztec Land and Cattle Company in the northern part of the state. It is still being burned on cattle and reputations, but its olden name for meanness has passed. It is wholly respectable today, but the mere mention of it can evoke a flood of gory stories.

It would be impossible to tell many of the brand stories that men love to relate around campfires. Indeed it would be impossible even to mention all the brands of the west, because they number into the hundreds of thousands (Colorado alone had 12,000 brands as early as 1885. Arizona has had thousands registered. Texas brands must run into the millions by now, with duplications over the years.) But ranch men and women enjoy telling about brands whose stories have been etched on memories down through the years.

The XIT, for instance, is one that south westerners love. That brand means Ten-In Texas, because 10 Texas counties were given in payment to men who built the state capitol at Austin, Texas.

The 6666 brand was named that from a famous poker hand. A penniless cowboy struck a run of luck. The hand that finally won him a ranch and cattle was four sixes, and the hour was 4 a. m. By 6 a. m. he was already on his new property, re-branding his stock. It lived to become nationally known.

In brand talk some fellow is sure to tell about the LIL. This concerns Miss Lillybelle Plunkett, who came west with her father to set up a store. Cowboys of the region saw that Lillybelle was pretty, and their way of courting her was to catch up calves and mav ericks, drive them to her door branded with huge letters, LIL. In a year or so she had a valuable herd, as gifts from suitors. But did she then marry one of the romantic young cow boys? Not Lillybelle! She wrote back east for her old sweetie, who came west and set up prosperity with Lillybelle on her LIL herd!

Then there was the steer branded in 1890 and still “seen” whenever there is a fog or a hazy moon. In an argument over ownership of the steer, a man was shot to death in cold blood. Disgusted cowboys branded the steer MURDER with a running iron, then drove it far away from the herd. For years that steer roamed alone, unwanted, a pariah among its kind. No man would tolerate it on his ranch. Whenever it was seen, so the legend grew, another murder was sure to happen soon. That belief still holds. Men fear the MURDER steer to this day, and swear that they see it often.

The DHD brand was created by a man who came west with nothing in the way of assets but a lean old hound. He called his brand the Damned Hungry Dog.

The IOA brand was created by men from Iowa, and the OIO by men from Ohio. Five Babbitt brothers came to Arizona years ago from Cincinnati, Ohio, and started the CO Bar(Continued on Page Forty-one)