30 years after Colorado achieved statehood in 1876, the State Livestock Inspection Board Secretary, W.C. Baker, was absolutely flummoxed and stressed by the endless chaos caused by the hundreds of thousands of cattle roaming Colorado’s ranges, each with tens of thousands of different brands. His predecessor, Secretary of State David A. Mills, had attempted to bring some organization to the brands from 1901 to 1903, but he left office with much still to do. Mills’ death in 1905 was a blow to Baker’s efforts to bring order to the system. The problem was that each Colorado county managed the brands in its area, which often meant thousands of duplicate brands across the state, and caused challenges when cattle were sold outside any region. It also allowed cattle rustlers to easily move cattle without getting caught.
Yet despite the challenges, by 1906 Baker had created a registry system that was so smooth and successful that every other western state in the United States adopted what is called the Baker Brand System. The Range Ledger in August of 1905 stated:
“One would scarcely believe that 40,000 brands of all sorts and shapes, made up of straight lines, curves, and combinations of the two, could be put upon a working basis with no danger of duplication. But Mr. Baker has figured out the way wherein the cattleman and his neighbors may walk and not err. Every time a brand is taken to the office of the Secretary of State, the name of the owner, his address, and the date of filing are recorded upon the books. These records mean the same to the cattle owner as the deed to a piece of real estate does to a property owner. After the record is placed upon the bit book, the card index is used, and by the system, only a very few minutes are required to locate a brand.”
It is the unfairness of history that people who excel in government jobs are rarely remembered. There is nothing newsworthy in competence, and unfortunately, there is so little information on W.C. Baker that we have no idea what his first name is or what he looks like. “Good men rest in unmarked graves” as the saying goes.
Over the past few months, the Tribune has published half a dozen stories on how the search for and mining of silver brought the first towns to the Wet Mountain Valley region in the 1870s. However, it was the ranchers who brought a century of purposeful production to the land, a tradition that lives on to this day.
Brands have become more than just logos for a ranch; they are a connection to the past, present, and future of ranching in the Wet Mountain Valley Region. In that vein, the Custer County CattleWomen have recreated and continue to maintain a brand board on Second Street in Westcliffe that pays homage to the ranching tradition. As the plaque states:
“Like a modern-day family crest, a ranch’s brand is more than just a symbol of ownership. Often passed down from representation of the person behind it. Each brand is unique, often coming in various shapes, sizes, and configurations. They all have a story to tell; a reason why they are designed the way that they are.”
At the beginning of March, the CattleWomen announced that it was once again time to renew the brands hanging on the wall. Every 3 years, the organization asks for $45 to renew, which funds a yearly scholarship for local students.
If locals want to add their brand to the board, the process is simple. For $100, a brand board is created and placed with the others. For more information, to renew, or to add your brand, please contact Lindsay Camper at 719-371-5255.
The Custer County Cattle Women meet on the first Friday of every month at 3 p.m. at the aptly named Rancher’s Roost at the bowling alley. So, join the fun and become a member!
– Jordan Hedberg
