Livestock Brands in Montana

The State of Montana started recording brands in 1873 and kept recording new brands as applications came in until 1910. In 1911, Montana started registering brands for a ten-year period. Brand owners had to re-register brands in the first year of each decade (1911, 1921, etc.). Within each decade, though, someone could apply for a new brand or transfer their brand to someone else. The brand records are organized along these lines in books by decade, with the first book spanning 1873-1910 and each subsequent book covering a decade (1911-1920, 1921-1930, etc.).

We produced our digitized collection of Livestock Brands for Montana by scanning brand registrations from 1873-1980 on microfilm and paper copies from 2001-2010. The digitization process helps make the records searchable, but some records are not always legible due to fading, age, and other reasons. Please keep in mind that some searches may not returns results. Use the tips in our searching guides to find alternative ways to search the brand records. 

What we can learn from a brand registration

• This brand was recorded on June 14, 1902.
• The registration number for the brand is 15175.
• The brand owner recorded is A. N. Collins from Saco in Valley County.
• The record describes the where on which animals the brand should be placed. In this case, the brand is for cattle on the Left Hip and horses on the Left Jaw.
• The word "vent" means that when the livestock is sold, a mark (typically a slash) should be placed on the animal. This record indicates where to place the mark on each animal - on the Left Thigh for both cattle and horses.
• The record also has a stamp indicating the re-record date as July 15, 1911. This means that A. N. Collins retained ownership of the brand through 1920 (or until transferring it).

Some brand registrations have additional information that connect the brand to past registrations. See our Brand Searching Guide for more information.

Reading brands, also referred to as “calling the brand,” is like learning another language. Brands are composed of letters, numbers, pictures, and symbols, such as + (cross), _ (bar), \ (slash), and = (double bar). These may be arranged and combined in any number of ways. The basic rules of reading brands are.

• Read from left to right, top to bottom, and outside to inside.
• A letter laying on its side is a lazy letter. If the top is to the left, it's called "lazy [letter].". If the top is to the right, it reads as “lazy [letter] top to the right.”
• Letters with bows (B, D, P, etc.), when turned lazy, read as “lazy [letter] bow up” or “lazy [letter] bow down”, depending upon orientation.
• In the example above, the brand is called "A hanging N." 

For more information on reading brands, refer to the Montana Department of Livestock Brand Enforcement Division's How to Read Brands document. Or explore the book Brands Across Montana, by Fred B. Hunnes, 1984, available in most Montana public libraries. 

Use our Brand Searching Guide to help navigate our online Livestock Brand Registrations and better understand the numbers and codes within brand registrations.

Brand Searching Guide

Other resources that may help in your brand search include:

• Stock Growers' Association brand books: These books were published in 1890, 1894, 1899, 1903, and 1910 and only list brands owned by members of the Stock Growers' Association.
• Van Dersal & Conner's Stockgrowers' Directory of Marks and Brands for the State of Montana, 1872-1900, by Van Dersal & Conner: This book also only lists brands owned by the Stock Growers' Association.
• Brands Across Montana, by Fred B. Hunnes: This book has a brand index and a name index and was published in 1984.
• County brand books: Many counties compiled their own record of brands. Search the catalog for specific county brand books for more information.
• Montana Cattlemen's Reference Manual, 2012-2020, by the Montana Cattlemen's Association: This three-volume set contains more recent brands and includes a brand index and name index. Find a copy in our Reference Room or order a copy from the Montana Cattlemen's Association.
• Montana Department of Livestock, Brands Enforcement Division: Get more information on current brands and brand registration in Montana by contacting the Department of Livestock.

The books listed here are available by visiting our Reference Room.

Can't find your brand or need help with your search? We offer 30 minutes of free research and an additional two hours for a $25 fee. Please contact us by submitting a research request or calling (406) 444-2681.