Is That So?
Want to get a degree from the
Frontier College of Heralds,
that is, become a Bunkhouse
Geneologist of the Golden West?
O.K., podner, hunker down
'round our campfire while I
poke it up and we'll kill us a
little time tracing in the sand
some of our famous brand names
of the West.
First you ought to know that
the tradition of branding cattle
came to the Southwest with the
Spaniards but in the present-day
reading the heraldry, is pure
American.
Next, that any; puncher worth
his keep has to read brand
quickly and with moving cattle
on the open range, that isn't as
easy as it sounds. And not only
read 'em, but to sing out along
with it . who owns 'em, and
where he's from. Like this
"Rafter R, belongs to Jones of
Happy Valley."
Don't let it scare you off, son,
but there are more than 100,000
registered brand names on our
Western States alone. But I'm
telling you. once you latch on to
the way of reading 'em, you'll
be able to sing 'em off with the
best of cowhands. Of course, hav
ing a State brand book pub
lished each year on Bible-thin
paper in a handy hip-pocket size
to fit into your Levis, is a big
help in locating the owner of
strays.
According To Rules
Brands being western, you got
to read them according to our
western rules. They read three
ways. From left to right, as you
would this line; from top to bot
tom, as the Orientals read a
page; and from outside in that
is, the larger enveloping symbol
reads first. The three kinds read
so: 2-x reads, "Two Bar X"; a
flattened inverted V over a five,
reads, "Rafter 5"; and an X
within a square, reads: "Box X."
Before you allow as how that's
easy, better look at the ways of
writing each letter. Believe me,
a lot of cowboy imagination
went into designing 'em. Take
the variations played on the
letter "R." By adding curlecues
and gimmicks, the "Block R"
becomes the "Running R," the
"Walking R," the "Drag R"; by
tilting it, the "Tumbling R," by
resting it lazy-like on its side.
By FVQENt BURNS
Ranger-Naturalist
2-X
-9-6 . V
the "Lazy R," by upending it,
the "Crazy R."
And with all these variations
of the letter R and there are
others I might mention you add
to it a rocking chair rocker, and
you have the "Rocking R"; a
quarter circle and you have the
"Quarter Circle R," and then
there's the "Circle R," the "Box
R," the one with the little bench
under it, the "Bench R," the
"Rafter R." the "Bar R," the
"Diamond R," and the "Slash R."
R's Can Be Tilted
Man, R U beginning to get
rocky! But hold on for one more:
most of these "R's" can be made
in a hand-written style, which
makes them a "Running R." And
the "Running R" again can be
tilted and go on from there.
Just about the same treatment
can be given numerals that is,
1 through 9. So you have your
"Flying 8," a "Lazy 2," a "Rock
ing 6," a 'Bench 5," and a Tum
bling 4."
Backing up these letters and
numerals and a vital part of
tens of thousands of brand names
are the designs of box, circle,
diamond, triangle, heart, bar and
slash. And these, too, have their
variations. Take the circle. It
can be a 'Mashed Circle" or
"Goose Eggs"; "Quarter Circle,"
or "Half Circle"; and that little
ole heart, podner, can come out
a "Lazy Heart," a "Crazy
Heart," and a "Broken Heart."
When letters are up-ended,
standing alone, they are termed
"Crazy." But put two "A's" to
gether the one up-ended, the
other normal and you've got the
so-called "Up A and Down A"
brands.
Think you've had it? Not yet.
Apart from letters, numerals
and basic designs there are also
ii flock of picture brands, often
highly personal. A new rancher,
for example, might be cracking
proud of his first log cabin so
bango, he makes himself a cabin
for a brand.
Inspiration From Sun
Another gets his inspiration
from the rising sun; a more bus
inesslike soul thinks thars gold
in them cattle, and he uses the
$ sign. An ex-sailor, lonesome
Around Hollywood
By ALINE MOSBY
United Presa Correspondent
Hollywood U R Betty Hut
ton smiled for the movie cam
eras for the first time in four
years this
week but the
bouncin', fran
tic Betty of
old been put
in mothballs.
The new
Miss Hutton,
frankly 35 and
subdued, is
making her
Aline Mosbr film comeback
In a non-singing dramatic pic
ture. "Spring . Reunion," that
producer Kirk Douglas calls
"whit collar Marty.".
The former shouter as a dra
matic actress may startle some
fans. But to Betty it's natural
progress in her "growing up"
campaign.
"Ive been acting like a teen
ager in movies. You can't do that
forever. If you can't grow up
you're not going to make it," ex
plained the actress on the set at
Republic studios.
Mature Role Accepted
"I'm a woman in this picture
instead of a kid. This role is me,
Betty Hutton, as a person and a
human being. I'm 35 now. But
in this picture," she laughed
"they let me be 33."
The new Hutton plays a spin
ster who falls in love with Dana
Andrews when they meet at a
reunion of their high school
graduation class. She sings only
one song a non-jumpy ballad
at the class reunion.
Producer Douglas thought of
Betty for his Bryna Productions'
film despite the fact that, an
associate says. "Everybody hoo
hawed at the idea." Kirk figured
the part was similar to Betty's
other dramatic movie, "The Mir
acle of Morgan's Creek."
"I never got another part like
that," Betty said sadly. "That's
the kind of thing I wanted to
do."
TV Debut Flops
After "Somebody Loves Me,"
Betty quit Paramount studio in
a fight over roles. Then came
her TV debut, a disastrous event
that upset her so much she "re
tired." Now she looks back on that
flop and tells friends, "I was just
unlucky enough to be associated
with a lot of people without
talent."
The last time I saw her per
form in person was the night of
her "farewell" to show business
at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas,
Nev. Reporters in the audience
didn't believe a word of it, but
Betty swore she was through
forever.
Her happy marriage to NBC-
TV executive Alan Livingston
changed her mind. Betty went
back to night clubs and TV last
year. The script and a percent
age deal on "Spring Reunion"
got her into movies. She next
plans to star in TV series next
fall.
James Named Chairman
Of Pear, Apple Section
R. M. James. Medford, has
been named chairman for the
apple and pear section of the
71st annual meeting of the Ore
gon Horticultural society De
cember 6-7 at Oregon State college.
Attendance of approximately
1.000 growers from all parts
of the state is expected at the
convention.
Portland is said to be the larg
est lumber-milling center in the
world.
Dental Tradition
Says:
"Never Retire".
I have never done better work
than now and I have no inten
tion of retiring.
Dr. S. Ralph Dippel
D.M.D.
WHY PAY MORE? FOR
OUIY
J Jf Rolf'
REPRINTS 5c
PENN YWISE
323 EAST MAIN
for the brine, usee a "Laiy An
chor"; a former housepainter,
a "Tumbling Ladder"; others,
the "Cloverleaf," a "Pitchfork,"
'Wineglass," and there's the
rancher who just kept dreaming
about bottles, so a picture bottle
brand resulted. Another, tempt
ing lady luck, boxed 7 and 11 in
a pair of tumbling dice.
Sometimes names are worked
into the brand: Keys, for exam
ple, used an upright picture of
a house key and added 's"; a man
named Barker put a bar over
KER.
Before you take the final test
on this Bunkhouse Heraldry
course, better consult a text
book and for this I'd recom
mend looking into the April
May issue of American Her
itage the Magazine of History.
And, oh yes, there are the
Sunday, June 10, 1958
MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE FIVH
"Warning Brands," I almost for
got. The ICU (I See You); the
2-U (To Bar You"; and I-U (I
Bar Yoti). Although to my mind,
the most effective one was the
symbol of frontier law and order,
the Colt Forty-Five: simply,
".45."
(Released by McClure News
paper Syndicate Copyright.
1158, by Eugene Burns)
Free: By special arrangement
with the editors of the Encyclo
pedia Americana, my panel of
judges will award the reader
who sends me the best true-life
nature adventure, the best na
ture observation or the best ques
tion on nature and wildlife, a
complete 30-volume set of this
world famous reference work
in a handsome Sealcraft binding.
Each week new submissions will
be considered. Sorry, I simply
can't answer your many friendly
letters. Please address your let
ter to: Is That So! co Medford
Mail Tribune, Box 575 Sausa
lito, Calif.
WATCH
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