The Brands of Ranger Creek Ranch

The Brands of Ranger Creek Ranch

Brands are registered with state or county government agencies for the purpose of identifying the ownership of animals. In the early days of the open range livestock industry many ranchers got started by rounding up and branding wild free-range cattle also known as mavericks. Brands may be used for generations without modification. This is the case of many long-standing Texas brands such as the used by Ranger Creek Ranch. Other well-known Texas brands that have spanned generations include the brand of the 6666 (four sixes) ranch and the world famous Running W from the King Ranch.

Brands are sometimes difficult to decipher, and brand reading is a fading art. Many symbols may be read several ways, depending on the region of the country where they are used and also depending upon the creativity of the brand developer. Letters and numbers in a brand may be easily discernable or the may be lazy, open, running, flying, leaning, hanging, backward or reversed. The bars may be over, under, between or on either side of the numbers or letters. It is most important that brands be unique and difficult to alter with something as simple as the addition of a few marks to resemble a different brand.

Ranger Creek Ranch uses two brands. The oldest brand is the (Z bar). Zellie Scott, who was the father of Gaylon Scott and the grandfather of Ranell Scott Walker, first registered the Z bar in the early 1900's in Knox County, Texas. Zellie Scott passed on in 1926 when Gaylon was a mere 22 months in age. The family has carried the brand since its registration in honor of Zellie Scott and you can still see cattle on parts of the ranch with the historic brand. The second brand used by Ranger Creek Ranch is the (Rockin' W) That brand was registered in Knox County, Texas by Randy Walker to identify his herd of cattle. The brand is still in use on Randy Walker’s cattle on Rockin' W Cattle Company Lands.

A lot has been written about the tenacity and independence of Texans. The Walker family is a true and living example of such independence and tenacity. Ranell Walker raises and works her own cattle and Randy Walker works the cattle belonging to his Rockin W Cattle Company. The ranch is rough country and the terrain dictates that the cattle be worked by cowboys and in this case cowgirls aboard horses. Ranell and Randy are a husband and wife team maintaining a friendly competition between their separate herds. The casual observer is wise not to make rash public statement regarding whom of the two is the best cowboy.

Ranger Creek Ranch: 940-888-2478

E-mail:ranger@rangercreekranch.com