Since 1895, ranch owners have been required to register their ranch brands with first the territory, and later with the state. The main purpose of the brand was to show proof of ownership at a time where cattle were free range grazing throughout the territory. In 1908 there were 11,566 brands registered in Arizona, and by 2016 that number dropped to 9, 883. Today, a brand must be renewed every five years, and it is required to be unique; it is not allowed to be adopted or re-recorded. It was common for cattle rustlers to use a “running iron” to change the appearance of a cattle brand, and while most brand violations are misdemeanors, the intentional changing, altering or disfiguring a brand is a class 4 felony in Arizona.
Brands are created by using a mix of capital letters either singly or joined in combination, numerals, pictures, and characters. They are a unique language, and like any language, there are rules on how to read them, or in rancher’s terms, “callin’ the brand.”
Letters:
Picture brands are usually used alone.
There are three accepted rules for reading brands.
References:
AZ Department of Agriculture, “History of Livestock Brands”
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