20 Share It! Quarterly Summer 2015 September 2015

uDid you know the Montana Territory’s famous “Cowboy Legislature” of 1885, appointing the first brand inspectors? Widespread rustling had prompted ranchers to take justice into their own hands.

uA future President and North Dakota rancher on the Montana border, Theodore Roosevelt, supported a cattleman named Granville Stuart,

president of the newly established Montana Stockgrowers Association, in a vigilante operation in 1884 to hunt down rustlers.

u“Stuart’s Stranglers,” as the vigilantes would become known, killed 30 - 60 cattle rustlers. Stuart would also go into politics, heading up the Montana Board of Stock Commissioners that created the formal brand enforcement that we know today, in the 1885 Legislature.

or future Quarterly editions, we would like to use this space for photos and stories of our kids enjoying our great outdoors or for kids to write their views on multiple-use. Stories should be up to 300 words in length and photos are encouraged! We would also accept stories and photos from members’ childhoods. This is a great way to remember our outdoor heritage. Submit stories and photos to ben@balanceduse.org.

Montana’s Brand Inspectors,

protectors of your Brand.

by Constance B. Evans Interview with John Grainger, Montana Dept. of Livestock, Helena Montana

efore Montana was a state, from the days of the cowboys with images of cattle rustlers and vigilantes, come the Brand Inspectors. With cattle

brought in by Railroad from the Mid West, and not such good guys out to make an easy living, Brand Inspectors were among the first law enforcement to protect our hardworking ranchers in the Western territories of the United States.

Brands are a classic language of our farming and ranching heritage. They help to protect that relationship and can track the movements in case of theft or

a health out-break. They are keepers of Brands, and librarians of our families and their livelihoods and relationships between animals and humans. The most common animals branded are cattle, horses, sheep and hogs.

To be put simply, they help you find your horse or cow if they wander off your property and out of your protection. Away from neighbors and family, becoming targets of unfriendly people or an unfortunate mishap with a car, truck, or even a train. They make sure you can recover your animal before they get caught in a fence or hurt in any way.

So next time you get a new horse or cow, remember to call for an inspection! They are in the local phone book or on the web at www.liv.mt.gov under brands. You can find out about inspectors in your area and their history of the protectors of your Brand. If your see a sign for “livestock trailers stop ahead” at the county line or on the highway, know that they are protecting your animals against thieves or disease! 0

• The Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) is reminding owners—specifically those who hunt with horses—that horses are required to have a brand inspection before crossing county lines.

• Paul Johnson, Montana Department of Livestock district inspector for Cascade, Lewis, Clark, and Teton counties, said, “It’s a pretty common violation during hunting season. Producers move livestock all the time and are generally pretty familiar with transportation

requirements, but sometimes hunters just don’t know. “The inspection is good for a year of movement, or you can get a lifetime, so there’s no good reason to wait until the last minute,” he said. “If you hunt on horses, just add getting a brand inspection to your check list.”

• An annual inspection costs $6 and a lifetime is $25. A map of brand inspectors by county can be found on the department’s website; www.liv.mt.gov.

Courtesy of website: http://liv.mt.gov/be/brandsfaq.mcpx- Department of Livestock,Brands Enforcement Division

Before you go: