The Battle Over the Anchor Brand
A territorial dispute over livestock branding sparks a public warning in the local paper.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In a recent issue of the Ritzville Times I notice that S. T. Dyer of Cow creek offers a reward of five dollars a head for the return of any stock to his ranch on Cow creek with the anchor brand on either hip, or any horses branded with the same brand on either shoulder. I take this occasion to notify the people of Adams county that the anchor brand is my official brand, recorded in this county, and before anyone takes any stock up branded as above, they will please be satisfied that Mr. Dyer is the owner of them before they return them to him. John Link, Ritzville, Wash.
“I take this occasion to notify the people of Adams county that the anchor brand is my official brand.”
This dispute over brand identity reflects the high stakes of ranching life in the 1890s, where property markers were the primary means of establishing legal ownership. It highlights the overlap of local commerce and vigilante-style livestock management that necessitated public legal notices.
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