Ree Heights in Hand County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Ree Heights Roadside Park / Reading Brands
November 6, 2021
1. Ree Heights Roadside Park / Reading Brands Marker
Inscription.
Ree Heights Roadside Park, also, Reading Brands. .
Ree Heights Roadside Park. The railroad beat the settlers into this area where farms are giving way to cattle ranches, now as it was then. Ree Heights first postmaster was Wm. H. Love 8 June 1882. Three miles South are the Ree Heights, rolling, watered grassland. Some of the early comers were F. E. and L. W. Lansing, Volney T. Hogatt, John O'Brien, the section boss, his son Jerry, first white boy born in Hand County; Charles and Matty Turner, John T. Cogan, like Lansing a newspaper man. It was platted by Love Brothers in May 1882., Good range country lay all about and some of the early brands were: Jules DeSomer [wrench shape] Monkey Wrench; Gardner Brothers 77 77; Ronald Lauson RL RL Rail; John O'Brien JO JO; H. E. Price [three hash marks with a curved underline] Triple 1 Quartercircle; P. Walkins [2 with a curved overline] Quartercircle 2. Good grass and water make good beef and one of the latest brands in the area is the P↑ P Arrow of Joe Poindexter. If you want to know more about reading brands just walk around to the other side of this here marker.,
Reading Brands. Two old cowpokes reading twenty brands won't agree on all of them but generally speaking this is how to read a brand., A letter like this ꟻ is a reverse F. But this F is a tumbling F. A letter lying on its side is lazy [sideways H]. If its angles are round its a running [rounded M] while if it has little wings on it like this [V with wings] its flying. Put legs on it like this [upside-down Y with legs] and its walking. Or if attached to a quarter circle on the bottom its rocking [H with a curved underline]. Sometimes a letter swings from a character [L swinging from a diamond shape]. This is a box □ and this ▛▜ is not a half box, its a bench. Short horizontals - are bars everywhere but long horizontals , are sometimes called rails. Diamonds ♦ and triangles ▲ never change nor do circles ○ nor crescents ☾ nor stars ★. This + is always a cross although once in a while a brand reader will call it a plus. This ∧ is a rafter and this ̷ a slash and this ⌢ a quarter circle. When you connect two letters or symbols you say so. Thus this brand [attached ꟻAK] you would read as a reverse FAK connected. There are all sorts of individual characters like the millirons [two bars with bends in the center] anvil [anvil shape] and arrow ↑. A rafter connected with other letters is usually called an "open A" like this [attached ∧B] open AB connected., The calls for a lot of actual workaday brands are to be found on the other side of this marker.
Ree Heights Roadside Park
The railroad beat the settlers into this area where farms are giving way to cattle ranches, now as it was then. Ree Heights first postmaster was Wm. H. Love 8 June 1882. Three miles South are the Ree Heights, rolling, watered grassland. Some of the early comers were F. E. and L. W. Lansing, Volney T. Hogatt, John O'Brien, the section boss, his son Jerry, first white boy born in Hand County; Charles and Matty Turner, John T. Cogan, like Lansing a newspaper man. It was platted by Love Brothers in May 1882.
Good range country lay all about and some of the early brands were: Jules DeSomer [wrench shape] Monkey Wrench; Gardner Brothers 77 77; Ronald Lauson RL RL Rail; John O'Brien JO JO; H. E. Price [three hash marks with a curved underline] Triple 1 Quartercircle; P. Walkins [2 with a curved overline] Quartercircle 2. Good grass and water make good beef and one of the latest brands in the area is the P↑ P Arrow of Joe Poindexter. If you want to know more about reading brands just walk around to the other side of this here marker.
Reading Brands
Two old cowpokes reading twenty brands won't agree on all of them but generally speaking this is how to read a brand.
A letter
Click or scan to see this page online
like this ꟻ is a reverse F. But this F is a tumbling F. A letter lying on its side is lazy [sideways H]. If its angles are round its a running [rounded M] while if it has little wings on it like this [V with wings] its flying. Put legs on it like this [upside-down Y with legs] and its walking. Or if attached to a quarter circle on the bottom its rocking [H with a curved underline]. Sometimes a letter swings from a character [L swinging from a diamond shape]. This is a box □ and this ▛▜ is not a half box, its a bench. Short horizontals - are bars everywhere but long horizontals — are sometimes called rails. Diamonds ♦ and triangles ▲ never change nor do circles ○ nor crescents ☾ nor stars ★. This + is always a cross although once in a while a brand reader will call it a plus. This ∧ is a rafter and this ̷ a slash and this ⌢ a quarter circle. When you connect two letters or symbols you say so. Thus this brand [attached ꟻAK] you would read as a reverse FAK connected. There are all sorts of individual characters like the millirons [two bars with bends in the center] anvil [anvil shape] and arrow ↑. A rafter connected with other letters is usually called an
November 6, 2021
2. Ree Heights Roadside Park / Reading Brands Marker
"open A" like this [attached ∧B] open AB connected.
The calls for a lot of actual workaday brands are to be found on the other side of this marker.
Erected 1958 by T.J., H.A., and Joe Poindexter and State Highway Commission. (Marker Number 620.)
Location. 44° 30.931′ N, 99° 11.86′ W. Marker is in Ree Heights, South Dakota, in Hand County. Marker is at the intersection of East 3rd Street (198th Street) and Carney Avenue, on the right when traveling east on East 3rd Street (198th Street). The marker is located by a small park in Ree Heights. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ree Heights SD 57371, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 1 other marker is within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Greenleaf United Methodist Church (approx. 9.6 miles away).
November 6, 2021
3. Ree Heights Roadside Park / Reading Brands Marker
November 6, 2021
4. Ree Heights Roadside Park / Reading Brands Marker, from the west
November 6, 2021
5. Ree Heights Roadside Park / Reading Brands Marker, from the east
Credits. This page was last revised on November 8, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2021. This page has been viewed 109 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 8, 2021. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
