Distinctly Montana Magazine

Millions of animals pass through stockyards in Chicago. Conrad Kohrs' bold C is clear on the should er on the cow in the foreground, but it might take an experienced eye to see the bold K on its hip. At the low end of the rustling scale was subsistence rustling. One homesteader in Eastern Montana stole two of cattle baron Conrad Kohrs' steers. Confronted by the Conrad owner, the man bowed his head and said, Kohrs "My family was hungry." Stern and intimidating at 6'3", the German-born Kohrs replied, "Well, if they get hungry again, take another one." Another western rancher, hearing that a homesteader had stolen a cow, told his hired hands, "If he stole it to eat, tell him to enjoy it and bring me the hide. But if he stole it to sell, by God! bring me HIS hide!" The hide was important because its brand provided documentation of ownership. Many an unscrupulous butcher ran afoul of the law for failing to produce the branded hides of the animals he dressed out. It is also traditional, though probably exaggerated, that a cattleman never slaughtered his own animals, the theory being that this amounted to eating up his profits. The standard joke www.distinctlymontana.com was that a rancher, invited to dine at a neighbor's was pleased to have a chance to eat his own beef. These were minor matters, but rustling on a large scale was serious. In an early example of white-collar crime (though precious few collars were white on the open range), unscrupulous foremen would report up to 80% calving success to their absentee owners, some of whom resided as far away as Scotland. The true figure was closer to 50%. Montana's legendary Hard Winter of 1886-87 provided a golden opportunity to clear the books of cattle that had never existed in the first place. The Cut Bank Pioneer Press reported that in the early 1880s, the Frewen Brothers bought 3,500 head of cattle from the 76. (Ranches were generally known by their brand.) When the cattle were delivered, they counted hundreds up Rattlesnake Canyon and hundreds more up Fish Creek, all with the proper 76 brand. Unbeknownst to the new owners, the 76 cowboys knew a shortcut up Horse Creek to Fish Creek, and the Rattlesnake 77

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