The brand being applied here by John Dickson of the Bar U, is one of the most famous in the Canadian West. It belonged first to the Montreal-based Northwest Cattle Company and was retained by George Lane when he acquired the ranch shortly after the turn of the century. Under his ownership the ranch was expanded to an even greater size and the Bar U maintained its preeminence for another generation. The brand which established the animals' ownership was the rancher's equivalent of a coat of arms. Brands of the big ranchers were known far and wide and in many instances the description of the brand became the accepted name for the ranch; for example: the Bar U; the "76"; the "WR"; the big "C" and the circle "O". Others of note included: the "arrow"; the "double crank"; the "D diamond"; the "roundtop T"; the "flying E"; the "rocking P"; the "lazy H" ; and the "top hat".
The presence of a brand, however, was not always sure protection against the cattle rustler. The experienced rustler was often adept at altering the character of a brand with a heated metal shaft known as a "running iron". In this manner an "H" might readily become a " ". The assistance being rendered by the two Indians in this picture (Red Cloud on the right) denotes the common use of seasonal and full-time Indian labour on the ranches. The plains Indian has always identified more readily with the stockmen than with any other group in the West.
Courtesy: Glenbow-Alberta Institute National Museum of Man, Ottawa
