The Art Of Cattle Rustling

As the ranchers opened up the American West, they became some of America’s elite citizens. Their ranches soon became the target of criminals looking to make easy money. Of course, the ranchers had more than just their reputations…they had money and influence, and when their cattle started going missing, they were going to have their revenge. Cattle rustling was considered a serious offense in the American West and, in some cases, resulted in vigilantes hanging or shooting the thieves. Tempers always ran hot when these criminals were caught. While the ranchers were rich, they still worked just as hard for their money as anyone else.

During the Civil War, Mexican cattle rustlers were a major issue. As with crimes across our southern border today, the Mexican government was accused of supporting the habit of cattle rustling. Of course, Mexican rustlers weren’t alone in their crimes. American rustlers also stole Mexican cattle from across the border, and the reality is that not every rustler was from Mexico. The United States had its share of thieves too. One prime target was unbranded new calves. When ranchers failed to brand new calves, it facilitated theft. Unbranded calves were very hard to track, and their theft was difficult to prove. Of course, cattle could be stolen out of necessity, or by the Indians, but while that is technically rustling, it could be looked at somewhat differently. Not that it really ever was. Cattle rustling was cattle rustling, and that was all there was to it.

Conflict over alleged rustling was a major issue in the Johnson County War of 1892 in Wyoming. The conflict began when cattle companies began persecuting alleged rustlers in the area, many of whom were settlers who competed with them for livestock, land, and water rights. As the violence swelled between the large established ranchers and the smaller settlers in the state, it culminated in the Powder River Country, when the ranchers decided to hire gunmen to invade the county. This was the beginning of vigilantes when it came to cattle rustling. They were ruthless, and they spared no one who was thought to be a rustler.

When the ranchers transitioned from open range to fenced grazing, cattle rustling gradually declined in North America. In the 20th century, A different kind of rustling emerged…often called suburban rustling, the practice involved rustlers anesthetizing the cattle and then taking them directly to auction. This eliminated the need to storing the cattle. The practice usually takes place at night, which makes detection difficult for law enforcement. On large ranches, it can take several days for the loss of cattle to be noticed and reported. for that reason, convictions are extremely rare, and even nonexistent.