The focus for many area ranches right now is calving season (perhaps many are already done), and it won’t be long until thoughts turn to putting cattle out onto summer pasture. That means branding calves first.

​I’ve been through a wealth of brandings, beginning with my childhood years on the Morapos ranch. In those days, my two uncles ranched too, “across the hill” in the Deer Creek area. Each May, Dad and his brothers took turns scheduling brandings so they could help one another. Remarkably, they took place about the same time each year. For example, Uncle Bill always branded on Mother’s Day (I don’t know why). Then Uncle Kermit and Dad (our ranch) scheduled brandings in the weeks following. Somewhere in there, Dutch Schneider, a neighbor rancher who also worked in Craig during the week, scheduled his branding day. 

​There was a lot of work to be done on branding day, so Dad and his brothers relied on others to help out. Although Dad, Uncle Bill and Uncle Kermit were full-time ranchers, the helpers were not. Young guys in the community were in school, and adult men had jobs in Craig. So branding days had to be on weekends.

​In those days, we girls did not participate in branding (what a difference a few years can make), but I can remember standing up on the pole fence, watching from afar as calves were sorted into a smaller corral and then the men got to work around the branding fire. Our uncles’ young sons came along, too, helping more and more as they grew up. My brother Duane, who was born when I was a teen, was part of the branding crew in later years. I can remember hearing the men razz the younger guys during the branding proceedings. 

​The weather didn’t always cooperate, I’m sure, although I can’t remember any specifics. Brother Duane recalls one year at Uncle Bill’s place when it was stormy and the calves had to be left in the barn and brought out one at a time so their hair wouldn’t be wet. 

​The calves were sorted off from the cows, roped by horseback, and then worked on the ground. They had to be branded and earmarked so they could be identified if wandering off from the herd. Calves were also vaccinated. 

​Mom cooked a big meal to feed the branding crew. We girls went to the basement for canned foods and set the table. In those days, some ranches, such as the Durham ranch on Williams Fork, made a big deal out of branding day. The Durham ranch held a baseball game after the dinner. Where they got the energy to play ball after a hard day’s work has always been a mystery to me.

​Fast forward to this year when my family members and I will drive up to my childhood ranch at Morapos where Duane raises cattle. For many years now, we have been helping him brand calves each spring. The differences now are that cattle are worked by four-wheelers, and calves are run down an alleyway into a chute that, once the calf is caught, is turned on its side to become a table. No more catching calves by horseback or working them on the ground.