| 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 there had been a decrease in the number of beef cows between 1992
and 1999 of 90,000 head and during that time a loss of 2,000 beef cattle
operations, the membership of WCA and a number of affiliated counties
have remained about the same.There are 32 county affiliations and a sustained
membership of approximately 2,200. |
