Friday, May 3, 2019

Rebranding Cattle Rustler Style

by Patti Sherry-Crews
Running Iron
This metal object might look as innocent as a candy cane, but getting caught on the range with this sticking out of your bedroll might put you on the receiving end of some frontier justice, strung up from the nearest tree. No judge, jury, or trial necessary. For there is only one thing this curved rod is used for and that's altering a brand on stolen cattle. It's called a running iron. (the one pictured above pulls apart into two pieces for easier concealment)

But before we get into why the running iron became the cattle rustler's favorite tool, let's put it in the context of cattle ranching practices in the old west.

Back in the day of the open range, cattle would roam freely, often mixing with herds belonging to other ranchers. When it was time for a cattle drive, the cowboys would "cut" the cows belonging to them from the rest of herd. But how did they know which animals belonged to them? Like it or not, that's where a red hot branding iron came in handy.

Branding Iron

The branding iron, opposed to the running iron, was made to stamp a ranch's unique brand into the hide. The symbols used have a language of their own. Variations to any one symbol could generate almost limitless names.  For instance an upside down letter was "crazy." A letter on it's side was "lazy". A half circle under a symbol made it "rocking". And then you had your bars, stars, numbers, and wings. I'm guessing the brand pictured above is a "flying W" given the wings.

In the early days cattle rustling wasn't quite as serious a crime as it was to become. In fact, that's how many ranchers started or increased their herds.

But then came the harsh winters of 1886-7. Ranchers caught unprepared for the deep snows that buried the cattle's food source, grass, for months had their herds almost wiped out due to starvation. After that, the disadvantage of open range ranching became painfully obvious. Instead cows were kept in fields behind barbed wire fencing, and hay was grown and stored for feed.

The emergence of the cattle barons in the late 19th century changed the landscape yet again. These large operations had no patience with the smaller ranch holders and their cattle rustling ways. They hired "regulators" to impose order. These regulators also known as "Stock Marshals" or "Stock Detectives" were man like hired gun, Tom Horn (later himself hung for murdering a defenseless boy in cold blood). These regulators used violence and intimidation to rid the land of small ranchers--cattle rustlers or not.

Now that we see why you didn't want to get caught with a running iron, you may be wondering how it worked. As "running" implies the hot iron was used to write on rather than stamp the hide. With a running iron an "F" could easily be turned into an "E" by the addition of a bar, for instance. Sometimes a wet blanket placed over the brand aided in blending the old with the alterations.  In a pinch a running iron could be improvised using any metal handy: wire, horseshoe, saddle cinches, or railroad ties. But these crude attempts were less likely to fool the stock detectives who kept a book of registered brands on them for reference.

The ingenuity of the rustler to alter brands is illustrated in the theft of cattle from the XIT ranch in Texas. The XIT operation was run by a British syndicate owned by Charles B. and John V. Farwell. One would think the XIT brand would a hard brand to disguise. Think again.

Incorporating a star and a bar cleverly hid the cattle barons brand, reminding us that whether it's the old west or modern day, there's always going to be somebody who finds a way around rules and regulations. Folks are clever that way.


Patti Sherry-Crews writes historical and contemporary romances. Find her books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Patti-Sherry-Crews/e/B01C7L8QUU/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_4

11 comments:

Andrea Downing said...

I don't think I'd ever seen a photo of a branding iron though I knew what they were, so thanks for that and the great explanation. It's interesting that these were even sold--or weren't they? Did the rustlers weld them themselves I wonder. Since rustling still goes on today I also wonder what the current MO is, too. Thanks Patti!

Patti Sherry-Crews said...

It would be interesting to know what modern rustlers MO is. I was trying to think of a modern equivalent to re-branding but I only came up with fake IDs (having had teenagers, LOL).I had never heard of a running brand before, and though I would NEVER steal a herd of cows, I have characters who do. So I was reading about rustling when I found running brands. I suppose you could bribe your local blacksmith to make one. The one pictured above is made to come apart which is more elaborate so one wonders. I did read running irons are rare to find today because nobody wanted to get caught with one in their possession! I should add they did all look like a cane: there were variations like V shaped end. Thanks for stopping by!

Kristy McCaffrey said...

Interesting post. I've heard about the rustling but never really knew how they did it.

Patti Sherry-Crews said...

Oh,the dark places our characters lead us too! When I was reading about the Bassett sisters of Brown's Park I was surprised to see how much cattle rustling was going on. I was interested to come across articles about the running iron. And the variety of brands and their language is so interesting to me. Thanks, Kristy!

Elizabeth Clements said...

You post such interesting stuff, Patti. When I worked for the R.C.M.P. one of the constable's main job was chasing down cattle rustlers. He always wore jeans and cowboy boots, cowboy hat and had some interesting experiences. Modern day rustlers like to use semis now and horse trailers in the middle of the night. Loved your article.

Patti Sherry-Crews said...

You worked for the RCMO?! How interesting. I'd like to know how cowboy culture differs or is the same north of the border.It's so wild that cattle rustling is still a thing but those cows are valuable, right? I imagine in this day and age both ranchers and rustlers have so many more tools available to them to protect and steal cattle. Thanks for stopping by!

Caroline Clemmons said...

I'd never seen a photo of a running iron and am happy to know what one looks like. Thanks.

Patti Sherry-Crews said...

Hi, Caroline! I never even heard of them before, being a law-abiding girl from the midwest, but I came across them doing research for my less than law-abiding character. I understand they're rare to find nowadays because who wanted to be caught with one. Thanks for stopping by! Always good to hear from you.

Agnes Alexander said...

Such a timely post. In the book I'm working on, the ranchers are having trouble with rustlers. I'd never heard about the running iron before, but I plan to use it in my book. Don't we learn unexpected surprises when we research? Thanks for sharing in this post.

Patti Sherry-Crews said...

This has happened to me too Agnes. Someone else posts something relevant to a work in progress of mine. Serendipity! In my WIP I have conflict between old ranching families and the larger enterprises. Very much inspired by the Bassett family of Browns Park. Good luck with your project and glad I could throw something your way. Thanks for stopping by.

Daniel Stolte said...

Very interesting, and proof that the "old West" myth is just that. The more I learn about ranching in the old days, the more I realize that it was no different than today's unbridled capitalism, driven by greed, and a wealthy few bullying the small, just like today's corporations bully the small businesses. There really is nothing glorious about how this country came to be...