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64-559: The XIT ranch was located in the western edge of the Texas Panhandle. This was anciently the territory of the Querecho Indians and Teyas . In 1879, the 16th Texas Legislature appropriated 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km) of land to finance a new state capitol. In 1882, in a special legislative session, the 17th Texas Legislature struck a bargain with Charles B. and John V. Farwell of Chicago, Illinois , under which

128-442: A "stopping place and rendezvous for a large number of bad men and criminals," in the words of A.L. Matlock. Matlock was picked by John V. Farwell to run the ranch in 1887. Matlock chose A.G. Boyce as his general range manager. Though the original stock consisted of Texas Longhorn cattle, in 1889, work started to improve the herd by introducing Hereford cattle and polled Aberdeen Angus . Registered herds were bought in 1892, and

192-503: A capital letter. Uncapitalized letters are not used. Brands are usually “read” top to bottom and left to right. There are regional variations in how brands are read, and deference is given to the terminology preferred by the owner of the brand. Terms used include: Combinations of symbols can be made with each symbol distinct, or: Livestock branding causes pain to the animals being branded, seen in behavioural and physiological indicators. Both hot and freeze branding produce thermal injury to

256-400: A defect, and can diminish the value of hides. This industry has a number of traditional terms relating to the type of brand on a hide. "Colorado branded" (slang "Collie") refers to placement of a brand on the side of an animal, although this does not necessarily indicate the animal is from Colorado . "Butt branded" refers to a hide which has had a brand placed on the portion of the skin covering

320-458: A few bronco branding competitions at rodeos and campdrafting days, etc. Some ranches still heat branding irons in a wood or coal fire; others use an electric branding iron or electric sources to heat a traditional iron. Gas-fired branding iron heaters are quite popular in Australia, as iron temperatures can be regulated and there is not the heat of a nearby fire. Regardless of heating method,

384-560: A freeze brand the hair coat of the animal is first shaved very closely so that bare skin is exposed. Then the frozen iron is pressed to the animal's bare skin for a period of time that varies with both the species of animal and the color of its hair coat. Shorter times are used on dark-colored animals, as this causes follicle melanocyte death and hence permanent pigment loss to the hair when it regrows. Longer times ‍ — sometimes as little as five additional seconds ‍ — are needed for animals with white hair coats. In these cases

448-446: A harness horse collar , is used to rope the selected calf. The calf is then pulled up to several sloping topped panels and a post constructed for the purpose in the centre of the yard. The unmounted stockmen then apply leg ropes and pull it to the ground to be branded, earmarked and castrated (if a bull) there. With the advent of portable cradles, this method of branding has been mostly phased out on stations. However, there are now quite

512-429: A kind people and not cruel. They are faithful friends. They are able to make themselves very well understood by means of signs. They dry the flesh in the sun, cutting it thin like a leaf, and when dry they grind it like meal to keep it and make a sort of sea soup of it to eat.... They season it with fat, which they always try to secure when they kill a cow. They empty a large gut and fill it with blood, and carry this around

576-572: A lip tattoo , to be identified at the track. Some breed associations have, at times, offered freeze branding as either a requirement for registration or simply as an optional benefit to members, and individual horse owners may choose branding as a means by which to permanently identify their animals. As of 2011, the issue of whether to mandate horses be implanted with RFID microchips under the National Animal Identification System generated considerable controversy in

640-468: A list of brands on the animals purchased. From the Americas, many cattle branding traditions and techniques spread to Australia , where a distinct set of traditions and techniques developed. Livestock branding has been practiced in Australia since 1866, but after 1897 owners had to register their brands. These fire and paint brands could not then be duplicated legally. Free-range or open-range grazing

704-442: A long hair coat the freeze brand is still visible, but its details are not always legible. Thus it is sometimes necessary to shave or closely trim the hair to obtain a sharper view of the freeze brand. Besides livestock, freeze branding can also be used on wild, hairless animals such as dolphins for purposes of tracking individuals. The brand appears as a white mark on their bare skin and can last for decades. Immediately after

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768-403: A monthly report and an annual report containing details about the cattle, range weather, and the men employed. Buffalo Springs became the steer ranch, Middle Water the cull ranch, while Ojo Bravo, Escarbada, Spring Lake and Yellow Houses became breeding ranges. The 10–12 cowboys working a division in the winter increased to 25–30 in the summer. Campbell's management led to the ranch becoming

832-477: A scar into the animal's skin, a freeze brand damages the pigment-producing hair cells, causing the animal's hair to grow back white within the branded area. This white-on-dark pattern is prized by cattle ranchers as its contrast allows some range work to be conducted with binoculars rather than individual visits to every animal. Scientists also value the technique for keeping tabs on studied wildlife without having to approach to read, for example, an ear tag. To apply

896-555: A syndicate led by the Farwells, with mostly British investors, agreed to build a new Texas State Capitol in Austin and to accept the 3,000,000 acres (12,000 km) of Panhandle land as payment. The ranch stretched across all or portions of the counties of Dallam , Hartley , Oldham , Deaf Smith , Parmer , Castro , Bailey , Lamb , Cochran , and Hockley . Total expense for the capitol building amounted to $ 3,744,630.60, of which

960-443: Is done with paint, crayons, spray markers, chalk, and much more. These can last for up to several months at a time. The sheep's identification number is painted or sprayed with an indelible but non-toxic paint designed for the purpose onto their sides or back. In stark contrast to traditional hot-iron branding, freeze branding uses an iron that has been chilled with a coolant such as dry ice or liquid nitrogen . Instead of burning

1024-433: Is less common today than in the past. However, branding still has its uses. The main purpose is in proving ownership of lost or stolen animals. Many western US states have strict laws regarding brands, including brand registration, and require brand inspections. In many cases, a brand on an animal is considered prima facie proof of ownership. (See Brand Book ) In the hides and leather industry, brands are treated as

1088-428: Is referred to as “calling the brand“. Brands are called from left to right, top to bottom, and when one character encloses another, from outside to inside. Reading of complex brands and picture brands depends at times upon the owner's interpretation, may vary depending upon location, and it may require an expert to identify some of the more complex marks. In general, the following usage of the term "symbol" usually means

1152-464: Is tagging with a microchip implant . The semi-permanent paint markings used to identify sheep are called a paint or color brand. In the American West , branding evolved into a complex marking system still in use today. The act of marking livestock with fire-heated marks to identify ownership has origins in ancient times, with use dating back to the ancient Egyptians around 2,700 BCE. Among

1216-540: The American West , a "branding iron" consisted of an iron rod with a simple symbol or mark, which cowboys heated in a fire. After the branding iron turned red hot, the cowboy pressed the branding iron against the hide of the cow. The unique brand meant that cattle owned by multiple ranches could then graze freely together on the open range. Cowboys could then separate the cattle at "roundup" time for driving to market . Cattle rustlers using running irons were ingenious in changing brands. The most famous brand change involved

1280-672: The Llano Estacado , of Staked Plains, of the Texas Panhandle and adjacent New Mexico . On the Llano they also saw vast herds of buffalo or bison . According to members of Coronado’s expedition: [The Querechos lived] in tents made of the tanned skins of the cows (bison). They travel around near the cows killing them for food.... They travel like the Arabs, with their tents and troops of dogs loaded with poles... these people eat raw flesh and drink blood. They do not eat human flesh. They are

1344-831: The Southern Plains . In 1541 the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado and his army journeyed east from the Rio Grande Valley in search of a rich land called Quivira . Passing through the Texas Panhandle , he met a people he called the Querechos. This was the first known venture of Europeans across the Great Plains of the United States . Coronado and his chroniclers were

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1408-495: The ancient Romans , the symbols used for brands were sometimes chosen as part of a magic spell aimed at protecting animals from harm. In English lexicon, the word "brand", common to most Germanic languages (from which root also comes "burn", cf. German Brand "burning, fire"), originally meant anything hot or burning, such as a "firebrand", a burning stick. By the European Middle Ages , it commonly identified

1472-547: The mineral rights . The family of Minnie Lou Bradley , who went on to establish the Bradley 3 Ranch in Childress County east of Amarillo , made large purchases of XIT land. Other purchasers included Texas cattlemen William E. Halsell, and John M. Shelton . Lee Bivins bought 70,000 acres (283 km) from XIT's Capitol Syndicate. Located near Channing, Texas , the purchase included XIT headquarters. The last of

1536-789: The Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Company, Limited, in London. The money was raised through the sale of debentures paying 5 percent interest. Directors of the company included John V. and Charles B. Farwell, Walter Potter, Henry Seton-Karr , Sir William Ewart , Edward M. Denny, Baron Thurlow , and the Marquis of Tweeddale , while the Earl of Aberdeen and Quintin Hogg were trustees. The company existed until 1909, when all bonds had been redeemed. Company headquarters were located in

1600-714: The City of Dalhart hosts the XIT Museum and the annual XIT Rodeo and Reunion held the first Thursday through Sunday of August. The celebration includes three days of junior and professional ( PRCA ) rodeo events, the world's largest free barbecue , three nights of live music, a mud bog competition, an antique tractor pull , and other activities. Several businesses in the Dalhart area use "XIT" in their names and styles. Querecho Indians The Querecho Indians were an historical band of Apache people living on

1664-673: The Llano Estacado perhaps possibly around 1450 CE years the Spanish visited them there. A village farming culture in the Texas Panhandle, the Antelope Creek Phase , disappeared about 1450. The reason for its disappearance may have been displacement by the Apache or the onset of a dryer climatic phase. By the time of Coronado, it appears that the Apache settled across a wide area of the Great Plains extending north from

1728-594: The Llano Estacado to Nebraska . They might be related to the Dismal River culture . Livestock branding Livestock branding is a technique for marking livestock so as to identify the owner. Originally, livestock branding only referred to hot branding large stock with a branding iron , though the term now includes alternative techniques. Other forms of livestock identification include freeze branding , inner lip or ear tattoos , earmarking , ear tagging , and radio-frequency identification (RFID), which

1792-532: The North. This meeting indicates that the Querechos were far-ranging even before they acquired horses. This brief account describes many typical features of pre-horse Plains Indians culture: using hide for clothing and lodges ( tipis ), travois pulled by dogs, Plains sign language , jerky (food) , and pemmican . In 1581, Spanish explorers of the Chamuscado and Rodriguez Expedition had another meeting with

1856-599: The Querechos. They found a large "rancheria" of 400 warriors on the Pecos River . probably near present-day Santa Rosa, New Mexico . The Spanish were especially interested in the Indian dogs which pulled travois with all their belongings. The Indians told the Spaniards that the bison herds were two days to the east and were "as numerous as grass in the fields." In 1583, the explorer Antonio de Espejo met Querechos in

1920-802: The Rito Blanco division bred the Angus, while the Escarbada, Spring Lake and Yellow Houses divisions bred the Herefords. The Texas Trail was used for trail drives connecting Tascosa to Dodge City until 1885. Afterwards, the Northern Trail connected Buffalo Springs to the XIT range on Cedar Creek, 60 miles north of Miles City, Montana . That trail was used from 1886 until 1897. Over a period of 3 months, some 10,000 to 12,500 steers were moved from

1984-592: The Syndicate Company paid $ 3,224,593.45. Though Mathias Schnell won the contract for constructing the new building in January 1882, by May he had assigned all interest to Taylor, Babcock and Company. This company was composed of Colonel Abner Taylor of Chicago, Colonel A.C. Babcock of Canton, and John V. and Charles B. Farwell of Chicago. Taylor was assigned company representative in June. Babcock inspected

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2048-471: The United States. Most brands in the United States include capital letters or numerals , often combined with other symbols such as a slash, circle, half circle, cross, or bar. Brands of this type have a specialized language for "calling" the brand. Some owners prefer to use simple pictures ; these brands are called using a short description of the picture (e.g., "rising sun"). Reading a brand aloud

2112-649: The XIT brand was not immune from "brand burning" by rustlers, which involved burning the original brand into another brand. Cowboy legends also kept alive the myth that the brand means "Ten (in Roman numerals ) In Texas." Each calf was branded with XIT on its side, the last numeral of the year on its shoulder , and the number of the division on its jaw . The ranch was initially divided into 7 division headquarters, located at (1) Buffalo Springs, (2) Middle Water, (3) Ojo Bravo, (4) Rito Blanco, (5) Escarbada, (6) Spring Lake, and (7) Yellow Houses, with (8) Bovina added later. Each

2176-589: The XIT cattle were sold on 1 Nov. 1912. Recognizing that their earlier surveys exceeded the stipulated areas by 2–4 percent, the state of Texas sued the Syndicate in 1918, claiming the excess was 57,840.5 acres (234 km). As a consequence, the state recovered 27,613.6 acres (112 km) in Dallam County, and 30,226.9 acres (122 km) in Hartley County. In remembrance of the massive ranch,

2240-550: The Yellow Houses 1,000 miles north to Cedar Creek. There they would graze for two years before being shipped to Chicago. The original plan of the Capitol Company was colonization, with ranching viewed as a temporary use of the land until farmers arrived. In 1890, Matlock began using an immigration agency, and 80,000 acres (324 km) were prepared as farming tracts. Cattle prices crashed in 1886 and 1887, and in

2304-534: The animal is restrained, size and location of the brand, and whether analgesics are applied for pain relief. A 2018 study in Sri Lanka , where hot-iron branding is illegal but still widely practiced, concluded that it impairs animal welfare and that there is no real way to improve the procedure. However, this particular study looked at four small dairy farms that used a technique where multiple applications of irons (“drawing”) created large brands extended across

2368-492: The battlefield could be identified. The hooves of the dead horses were then removed and returned to the Horse Guards with a request for replacements. This method was used to prevent fraudulent requests for horses. Merino rams and bulls are sometimes firebranded on their horns for permanent individual identification. Some types of identification are not permanent. Temporary branding may be achieved by heat branding so that

2432-580: The birth order, then the tag is either attached to the animal’s ear or to some form of neck collar. Nose printing or use of indelible ink elsewhere on the skin and hair is used at some farms, sales and exhibitions. This method is like fingerprinting: it uses ink and cannot be modified. As hair or skin cells shed, the mark eventually fades. Microchip identification and lip or ear tattooing are generally permanent, though microchips can be removed and tattoos sometimes fade over many years. Microchips are used on many animals, and are particularly popular with horses, as

2496-724: The brand is applied for long enough to outright kill the cells of the growth follicle, preventing them from regrowing new hair filaments and leaving the animal permanently bald in the branded area. The somewhat darker epidermis then contrasts well with a pale animal's coat. Horses are frequently freeze-branded. Neither hogs nor birds can presently be freeze branded successfully, as their hair pigment cells are better protected. Other downsides of freeze branding include its time consuming preparation, greater expense in material and time, low tolerance for sloppy application, long wait until success (sometimes as much as five months) and absence of legal grounding in some American states. When an animal grows

2560-411: The brand will begin to take on its permanent appearance. In Australia, all Arabian , Part Bred Arabians, Australian Stock Horses , Quarter Horses , Thoroughbreds , must be branded with an owner brand on the near (left) shoulder and an individual foaling drop number (in relation to the other foals) over the foaling year number on the off shoulder. In Queensland , these three brands may be placed on

2624-421: The brand. Brand identification may be difficult on long-haired animals, and may necessitate clipping of the area to view the brand. Horses may also be branded on their hooves , but this is not a permanent mark, so needs to be redone about every six months. In the military, some brands indicated the horses' army and squadron numbers. These identification numbers were used on British army horses so dead horses on

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2688-468: The capitol tract that same year, setting out from Tascosa on 23 March and arriving at the Yellow Houses on 27 April. His inspection noted the 1880 J.T. Munson survey used to define the capitol lands, and the northwest boundary of the state was defined by John H. Clark's 1859 survey. Clark's line defining the 103rd meridian, approved by Congress in 1891, turned out to be about one half mile west of

2752-445: The cattle crush or squeeze chute (for larger cattle), which may close on either side of a standing animal, or a branding cradle, where calves are caught in a cradle which is rotated so that the animal is lying on its side. Bronco branding is an old method of catching cleanskin (unbranded) cattle on Top End cattle stations for branding in Australia. A heavy horse, usually with some draught horse bloodlines and typically fitted with

2816-456: The chip leaves no external marks. Tattooing the inside of the upper lip of horses is required for many racehorses , though in some localities, microchips are beginning to replace tattoos. Temporary branding is particularly common for sheep and goats. Ear marking or tattooing are usually used on goats under eight weeks of age because regular branding would harm them. Techniques similar to these are also used on sheep. Temporary branding on sheep

2880-555: The fall of 1888, the ranch was unable to sell its cattle and make a profit. The ranch operated most years without showing any profit. Cattle rustling and predators such as the Mexican wolf led to further losses. In 1901, the ranch syndicate began selling off acreage to pay the bonds of the Capitol Freehold Land and Investment Company, Limited. Large tracts were sold to cattlemen such as George W. Littlefield , who bought 235,858.5 acres (954 km) of Yellow Houses in 1901. In 1904,

2944-607: The first Europeans to describe the buffalo-hunting nomads of the Plains. The name Querecho was what the Pecos Pueblo people called this band of Apache. The term Apachu was not written down until 1601. The word Querecho passed out of usage, replaced by other names. The Coronado Expedition were the first Europeans to encounter the Querecho in 1541. Coronado and his army found a Querecho settlement of about 200 houses on

3008-420: The four-wire barbed wire fence line, and by 1886, 781 mi (1,257 km) of fence were in place, including a 260 mi (420 km) long west line and a 275 mi (443 km) long east line. Cross fences were added by the late 1890s to make 94 pastures, bringing the total to 1,500 mi (2,400 km) of fence. A telephone line connected Tascosa to Alamocitos in 1888. Though the northern portion of

3072-432: The freeze branding iron is removed from the skin, an indented outline of the brand will be visible. Within seconds, however, the outline will disappear and within several minutes after that, the brand outline will reappear as swollen, puffy skin. Once the swelling subsides, for a short time, the brand will be difficult or impossible to see, but in a few days, the branded skin will begin to flake, and within three to four weeks,

3136-556: The government; however, there are a few exceptions: captured Mustangs made available for adoption by the BLM are freeze branded on the neck, usually with the AABS or with numbers, for identification. Horses that test positive for equine infectious anemia , that are quarantined for life rather than euthanized , will be freeze branded for permanent identification. Race horses of any breed are usually required by state racing commissions to have

3200-414: The hair is burned, but the skin is not damaged. Because this persists only until the animal sheds its hair, it is not considered a properly applied brand. Other temporary, but for a time, persistent marking methods include tagging, and nose printing. Tagging usually uses numbering system as a way to identify animals in a herd. It does this by putting together a letter and number to represent the year born and

3264-412: The iron is only applied for the amount of time needed to remove all hair and create a permanent mark. Branding irons are applied for a longer time to cattle than to horses, due to the differing thicknesses of their skins. If a brand is applied too long, it can damage the skin too deeply, thus requiring treatment for potential infection and longer-term healing. Branding wet stock may result in the smudging of

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3328-465: The making of the X I T brand into the Star-Cross brand, a star with a cross inside. Brands became so numerous that it became necessary to record them in books that the ranchers could carry in their pockets. Laws were passed requiring the registration of brands, and the inspection of cattle driven through various territories. Penalties were imposed on those who failed to obtain a bill of sale with

3392-639: The mountains near Acoma who traded salt, game, and deerskins to the townspeople in exchange for cotton blankets. He described them as warlike and numerous. These were the people later called Navajos , related to the Apache. The Querecho were a band of Apache. They were Southern Athabascan people who had migrated to the Southwest and Southern Plains in previous centuries from the Athabascan homelands in Alaska and northwestern Canada. The Apache arrived on

3456-497: The near shoulder in the above order. Stock Horse and Quarter Horse classification brands are placed on the hindquarters by the classifiers. Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds in Australia and New Zealand are freeze branded. Standardbred brands are in the form of the Alpha Angle Branding System (AABS), which the United States also uses. In the United States, branding of horses is not generally mandated by

3520-399: The neck to drink when they are thirsty. In 1565, Francisco de Ibarra met a bison-hunting people he called Querechos near Casas Grandes , Mexico , hundreds of miles from where Coronado had visited them. There were about 300 men and their "attractive" women and children visiting the area, probably on a trading mission. They said that large bison herds could be found on a four-day journey to

3584-402: The northern boundary of the ranch, at Buffalo Springs , with George Findlay directing business. Colonel B.H. Campbell became general manager and Berry Nations range foreman. The ranch started operations in 1885, purchasing cattle and moving them onto the ranch. By 1887, the herd was maintained at between 125,000 and 150,000 head, or about 20 acres (8.1 ha) per head. W.S. Mabry surveyed in

3648-433: The process of burning a mark into stock animals with thick hides, such as cattle , so as to identify ownership under animus revertendi . The practice became particularly widespread in nations with large cattle grazing regions, such as Spain . These European customs were imported to the Americas and were further refined by the vaquero tradition in what today is the southwestern United States and northern Mexico . In

3712-525: The ranch had plenty of water near Buffalo Springs, the portion south of the Canadian River needed wells, which were also surveyed in by Mabry. By 1900, the ranch had 335 windmills, producing water from an average depth of 125 ft (38 m). Additionally, 100 earthen dams were constructed. Trail driver Ab Blocker devised the XIT brand . The branding iron was simply made with a five-inch-long (15 cm) straight bar, applied five times. Yet,

3776-401: The ranch started using land and development companies for wholesale purchases, but in 1905, 800,000 acres (3,237 km) were also divided up into 160 square-mile tracts. In 1905, to prevent speculation, the syndicate established a land commissioner and a real estate trust in 1915. This trust, Capitol Reservations Lands, operated until 1950. Yet, Capitol Mineral Rights Company retained much of

3840-449: The rump area of the animal. A native hide is one without a brand. Outside of the livestock industry, hot branding was used in 2003 by tortoise researchers to provide a permanent means of unique identification of individual Galapagos tortoises being studied. In this case, the brand was applied to the rear of the tortoises' shells. This technique has since been superseded by implanted PIT microchips (combined with ID numbers painted on

3904-402: The shell). The traditional cowboy or stockman captured and secured an animal for branding by roping it, laying it over on the ground, tying its legs together, and applying a branding iron that had been heated in a fire. Modern ranch practice has moved toward use of chutes where animals can be run into a confined area and safely secured while the brand is applied. Two types of restraint are

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3968-479: The skin, but hot-iron branding creates more inflammation and pain than freeze branding does. Although alternative methods of identification such as ear tags are suggested, the practice of branding is still common worldwide. Standard hot iron branding can take about eight weeks to heal. Use of analgesics helps reduce discomfort. Topical treatments such as cooling gels helps speed healing in pigs, but results are less clear for cattle. Common concerns include how long

4032-474: The true meridian. The issue was not settled until John V. Farwell and President William Howard Taft were instrumental in passing a joint resolution in 1911 by Congress honoring the Clark line. This action saved Texas a strip of land one half mile wide and 310 miles long. In order to raise the capital needed to fence the ranch, build houses and barns, provide water, and purchase the cattle, John V. Farwell formed

4096-527: Was equipped with residences, cellars, bunkhouses, store rooms, barns, corrals, and two-wagon freight outfit. Large warehouses were maintained at Tascosa in 1887, after the introduction of the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad , and in Bovina , after it was connected to the J.J. Hagerman 's Pecos Valley and Northeastern Railroad in 1898. General headquarters were moved to Channing in 1890. Each division wrote

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