The Brands

Brands are a visual iconographic language which date back thousands of years. It is said that a cowboy in the 1800’s might be illiterate,but he could read the meaning of a brand.

Branding was called the “Heraldry of the West.” Early Spanish settlers brought the practice with them. Some of them were nobles or aspired to be nobles, so the idea that brands are linked to a lord’s coat of arms, is not far-fetched.

Records of registered brands in Texas (as part of New Spain) date back to 1537 (70 years before the English founded Jamestown). However, Anglo settlers had a hard time interpreting the Spanish brands, calling them “quien sabes” (“who knows?). So, in the 1830’s the Anglos began registering their own brands locally, which began the Texas practice of registering brands in each county.

In the United States, laws related to branding livestock vary by state. In Texas, each county maintains a registration of brands for a period of 10 years. On a given date, all the brands in the county expire and must be renewed, or the rights to claim the brand as proof of ownership are lost. It is a “use it or lose it” system. 

Our brands are registered in Wichita County. The historic “Bar Ys” is our cattle brand, and Bar WZ is our horse brand. Local business leaders in Wichita county suggested that we adopt the historic “Bar Ys” to keep it alive in the community. We were pleased to be able to do this.  

The Bar Ys brand is an example of a visual pun. Strictly speaking, the bar which spans both Ys is too wide to be a “bar” and might be called a “rail” but that would spoil the balance of the brand and the pun, so it says “BarYs” as does our other brand. 

We don’t know how many counties J H Barwise ranched in all together, or how many places he registered his famous brand more than 100 years ago. According to Frontier Times, the Bar Ys brand was registered in Wichita County in 1879. 

Frontier Times has published some entertaining stories of brand histories and offers a poster with brands dating back to early Spanish land grants. 

Beyond our ranch, it still serves today in spirit wear for the Barwise Junior High.