100 Years of Cattle Ranching

388 S. Grand Mesa Dr,Cedaredge CO 81413

26 August, 2021

Description

Cattle first came to the Surface Creek Valley with it's very first white settlers in 1881. The first cattle came to the valley with Pierre Settle in 1881. He settled on the property we know today as the Bar-I Ranch. Settle scouted the valley before the native Ute People had been removed, chose the land with the greenest meadows for his future ranch, and promptly made a cash claim with the BLM as soon as the land opened for development. Jim Vella's grandfather and family were one of the first to settle in the Eckert area. He started off as a general farmer with a variety of crops, but by 1920 considered himself a livestock man. Jim and his wife Carol have assembled a group of cattlemen to help tell this important story. How can such hard work be so romantic? Move 'em on, head 'em up, Rawhide! Above photo by D. Bradford Cattle were domesticated over 10,000 years ago. Christopher Columbus brought the first cows to America in 1493. Spanish missionaries brought cattle north from Texas/Mexico where they became a major attraction for converting Native Americans to Christianity. The early U.S. settlers in the West considered the bovine one of their most valuable possessions. After the Civil War, demand for beef increased greatly to support the military, making beef a good cash crop.