Department of Agriculture and Food. Division of Animal Industry Brand books, i 1851-

The law regulating the printing of brand books was passed by the first session of the territorial legislature in 1851. It required the "general recorder to furnish printed copies of all marks and brands to the clerks of different counties," who were also established as auxiliary recorders by the act. [An Act in Relation to Marks and Brands, in Acts, resolutions, and memorials passed by the first annual and special sessions of the legislative assembly... (Salt Lake City: Brigham H. Young, Printer) 1852, p. 84-88]. Auxiliary recorders used them to help prevent duplication of brands assigned to individual livestock owners, and as a means of identifying and controlling animals that had been put into estray pounds or that were being sold in each county. Later, as regulations expanded state control over inspection for disease, transportation, and slaughter of livestock, maintenance of a central brand registry became even more important in the regulatory process. Subsequent revisions of the1851 law expanded the list of officials who were to automatically receive the brand books, provided for public distribution, and changed the frequency of its publication. [Major revisions of the act occurred in 1866, 1897, 1917, 1921, 1939, and 1979].

Brand books contain all livestock brands and ear marks registered with the State Department of Agriculture. Livestock is assumed to include all types of animals raised for pleasure or for profit. The 1917 law was the first to specifically mention cattle, horses, and mules as livestock [ Laws of Utah, chapter 105 (1917)], although the brands of these and perhaps other animals may have been recorded before then. Subsequent revisions of the brand law expanded the definition of livestock to include several other animals.

The first surviving book in the series is an 1874 cumulation that records all brands that had been issued in the territory since 1849. A second cumulative brand book was published in 1884 covering the previous ten years,followed by several supplements. The practice of regularly rerecording brands every ten years started in 1901. The pattern was to publish a cumulative issue with supplementary books published more frequently that would include all new brands registered since publication of the last cumulative issue. Brands and marks not renewed were dropped from the brand book and could be reassigned.

Regular cumulative issues start with the 1901 edition, but some issues are not included in Archives holdings. Beginning in 1976, cumulative issues start appearing at five year intervals. Many annual supplements are also missing from the series as well; and it is possible either that both the supplements and cumulative issues were never published, or that copies were simply not found in the series when it was processed. Laws required publication of supplements only "as often as was deemed necessary".

Entries in the brand books include the brand symbol, name of the person registering the mark or brand,the location on the body of the animal, county of residence of the applicant, and the date the brand was recorded. Graphic illustrations of where the marks and brands appeared on the body were added to the books with the 1901 volume. Brand registry numbers were added beginning in 1922.