The Cattleman's Pages of History

The Cattleman cover depicted two unidentified cattle grazing.

➤ In September 1917, the world was at war and cattle raisers were urged to increase production in order to supply both the home front and our troops abroad. Demand for the product was strong and good prices were assured. One light-hearted story appeared amid the notes about buying and selling livestock. “A good joke is being told around El Paso, on H.S. Stephenson, manager of the Palomas Cattle Company. Mr. Stephenson wanted to go down into Mexico recently on business, and in order to get a passport he had to product evidence that he is an American citizen. He telegraphed the county clerk of the county back in Iowa where he was born, asking for a copy of the birth certificate. After a long wait he received the answers: H.S. Stephenson was born in this county on the date mentioned, but was a girl. Rather startled, Stephenson wired back: “send along the certificate, I’m the little girl.” With the proof that H.S. Stephenson was born in the United States on that date he thinks he can also prove that the family doctor was evidently very tired when he made out the certificate.”

➤ “Matador Land & Cattle Company recently topped the Chicago market with a shipment of 404 Texas bred steers from their ranch in Wyoming, which averaged 1,218 pounds and sold at $13.00 per cwt.”

The September cover of The Cattleman featured a beautiful photograph by Jane Pattie. “Good water and an abundance of grass make sleek, healthy broodmares on Mike and Millie Leonard’s M&M Ranch near Milford, Texas. With top stallions such as Major King and Major’s Manana, a top crop is forthcoming each spring.”

➤ Ms. Pattie also wrote a fascinating story on King’s Pistol. According to Jim Calhoun, his owner, the colt was “ragged and pot-bellied” when purchased as a 2-year-old. But as we all know, looks can be deceiving, and that colt outgrew his awkward stage and went on to become a World Champion cutting horse and an outstanding sire of working horses. Said Jim, “A good horse will give everything he has every trip… He’ll have the ability to do a top job and he’ll do it consistently.”

➤ In this Equine issue we also found the following: “Determining the age of horses can now for the first time be standardized since the introduction of a new teeth and aging chart by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and Fort Dodge Laboratories. Available for just $2.00, the booklet promised that “the horseman as well as the veterinarian will be able to easily determine the age of any horse by comparison with this standardized reference.”

➤ In a nod to other livestock, the magazine noted that “hogs and pigs on Texas farms and ranches totaled 718,000, up 13 percent from [the previous] year. ” ❚