| Dr.
McLoughlin
of the Hudson Bay Company was raising stock at Fort Vancouver by 1824.
The foundation herds of Stevens County and the Inland Empire were established
when calves were brought to Fort Colville and Fort Okanogan from Fort
Vancouver in 1826. Marcus Whitman and Henry Spalding drove cattle into
the southeastern part of the state in 1845. Within a few years Henry
Chase was running cattle in the Touchet Valley.
In Columbia County
Henry and Jess Day were grazing Spanish-type cattle before 1860. Erastus
Justin, Amos Stark and Willis Jensen had cattle at White Salmon in Klickitat
County, as did Mortimer Thorp. Thorp moved to Moxee in Yakima County
and then to Kittitas County. His moves were a pattern followed by other
cattlemen. By 1865 Bergiven and Drumhellers operation’s were established
in Walla Walla County. Coming from the west side was Tilman Houser bringing
a herd to the Kittitas Valley. In the Puget Sound countrysides there
were cattle at Fort Nisqually. Small acreages were cleared of trees
and brush in this area, and herds were established to provide meat and
milk for early settlers. Imports from San Francisco by trail and sea
provided the foundation for a thriving dairy industry. The supply of
beef for meat packing plants was delivered on hoof over Indian trails.
J.A. Splawn built a 10,000-head holding pen in what is now downtown
Ellensburg to facilitate the assembly and driving cattle over the Cascades
to the west.
A major market for beef had been created by the discovery of gold in
the Pacific Northwest. Splawn, Ben Snipes, Uncle Dan Drumheller, Lang
and Ryan, Phelps and Wadleigh, and the Smith Brothers ramrodded cattle
into the booming mining towns. These hungry markets gradually diminished
and herds were established in areas where the supply of gold was exhausted.
In the meantime, many changes were occurring which were to enhance settlement,
communications, transportation and all enterprise.
During President Lincoln’s tenure, the Homestead Act was created
luring families westward. Telegraph and telephone lines bridged gaps
in communication; railroad tracks were laid; Puget Sound towns and Indian
Trails became highways.
As the turn of the century approached, settlements had grown, farms
had been fenced, areas used for rangeland were covered with fields of
wheat and crops. Though free range had diminished, there were more than
one quarter million head of cattle in Washington state, 68% of them
east of the Cascades. The settlement of Lincoln, Adams and Douglas counties
had expanded the cattle population.
By 1890, there were 56,000 head of cattle west of the Cascades, 5,000
in Stevens County, 55,000 in Yakima and Klickitat, 45,000 on the Columbia
Plateau, Spokane and Whitman counties, 30,000 south of the Snake River,
Walla Walla and Columbia counties and 7,000 on Indian reservations.
About 75% were on farms. Ten years later, two-thirds of the cattle were
in Eastern Washington, less than a fifth of which were for milk production.
Land and water were essential to livestock production. To protect these
resources, those engaged in the industry realized the advantages of
combined action over individual efforts. In 1903 a Washington Livestock
Association was formed. At the organization’s fourth annual meeting
in Spokane, A.J. “Jack” Splawn of North Yakima was elected
to head the group as president. His officers were G.F. Benson, vice
president, Prosser; F.M. Rothrock, treasurer, Spokane; and F. H. Cohlke,
secretary, also of Spokane.
The purpose of the convention was “to promote local interest...
more importantly to create a strong influence upon state or national
legislation.”
In his address Splawn reviewed the history of the livestock industry,
closing with some caustic remarks about the affairs of the government
and the influence of Wall Street.
Within 10 years some scattered county associations had been formed,
geared to the interests of cattlemen. The first county to organize was
Okanogan with P.D. Smith, an attorney, as president.
Based upon the benefits derived from an organized effort, a statewide
association was created. The Washington Cattle and Horse Breeders Association,
later changed to Washington Cattlemen’s Association, was established
in the spring of 1926, headed by rancher and state representative G.F.
Banker of Winthrop. To provide financing, county associations paid a
$10 affiliation fee.
To keep members informed “The Lariat”, a mimeographed publication,
was circulated in 1949 during the presidency of R. L. “Bob”
Rutter. Later advertising was solicited and the resulting periodical
was published by Ellensburg Daily Record Press. Still later the magazine
was redesigned and titled “Washington Cattleman” printed
at the Wenatchee Bindery, Webco. In more recent years the “Ketch
Pen” newspaper replaced the magazine.
The years from 1926 - 1952 were years of transition. Free range was
no longer free. Under the Bureau of Land Management permits for grazing
for a fee per animal unit were required. Brand registration was moved
from county to state. Work horses were replaced by tractors. Bridges
replaced ferries. Rivers and lakes became sources of water that changed
wild grasslands to cropland. Feedlots ended “finishing”
of beef cattle on grass for the market.
By mid century Washington Cattlemen realized their interest should not
end when they marketed their cattle. A beef promotion committee was
formed. Colorful point of purchase beef dish posters were obtained from
the National Livestock and Meat Board, Chicago, and recipes were printed
both to be featured at retail meat markets. The legwork was accomplished
by the newly organized Washington CowBelles. An education program was
also initiated which offered a beef budget and teaching aids to home
economic teachers throughout the state.
A committee report at the annual convention was made in 1953 by Russ
Gladhart, chairman of the committee; Gertrude Bloomfield, immediate
past president of the CowBelles; and J.K. “Pat” Ford, WCA
secretary/treasurer. They reported that Washington cattle producers,
feeders and dealers had voluntarily agreed to contribute five cents
per head on all Washington cattle marketed by private treaty or through
auction markets. The purpose was to finance a local, state and national
program to increase the per capita consumption of beef. In 1954 the
name of the beef committee was changed to the Beef Council.
Five years later the Washington State Beef Commission was created by
the state legislature mandating a checkoff on all cattle sales for the
purposes of research, education, promotion and marketing. Commissioners
appointed were Richard Coon, Wally A. McMinimee, Leonard Omdal, J. Richard
Golob, Robert Frazier, Clarence Courtright, Ed Fransisco, Don Schaake,
John Eby and Ivan Packard, ex-officio member and representative of the
State Department of Agriculture. Mrs. Philip (Virginia) Paul was selected
as Administrative Secretary. In 2000 the Check-off was raised to $1.50
per head on cattle sales.
Producers have faced many odds and have had to adapt to consumer demand
for a leaner product to be prepared in less time or just heat and serve.
To recognize beef producers for excellence in production and management,
a state and national Cattlemen of the Year was originated by Alan Rogers,
Ellensburg cattleman. Rogers was chairman of the national association’s
public relations committee. The award events were open to the public
and offered the opportunity for hospitable on-ranch experiences. The
first Washington State Cattleman of the Year, L.J. McDaniel was selected
in 1950. The state event was endorsed and supported by Seattle-First
National Bank for 17 years at which time the state program ended. A
local Cattleman of the Year is still selected by a number of county
associations.
An historical highlight of the WCA was the voluntary funding and building
of the attractive headquarters complex in 1973 at Ellensburg. The building
was located on East Canyon Road at the exchange of Interstate 90. In
1995 the headquarters were moved to its current location on North Dolarway
Road.
Though the number of beef cows and beef cattle operations has decreased
over time, the number of issues the WCA is working on behalf of the
cattle industry in Washington has steadily incresed. The membership
of WCA is supported through a grassroots network of 26 affiliated county
organizations. These County Organizations are the lifeblood of
the WCA.
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