Okeechobee in Okeechobee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Branding Cattle Ranching Tradition

— Cattleman’s Square —

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Branding Cattle Ranching Tradition Marker

Inscription. Branding livestock, especially cattle, has been a tradition for thousands of years. It is a technique for marking livestock so as to identify the owner. Before the widespread use of fences in large cattle ranches, cattle from neighboring ranches often mingled and it was important to know which cattle belonged to which ranchers. In the days of free roaming on the range it also was to deter cattle rustling and helped to return rustled animals to their rightful owners. In the past, law-abiding ranch hands kept hand-written and carefully illustrated "brand books" on hand to identity and sort their cattle. Today, brands are required to be registered with the state. Livestock is not required to be branded or have ear marks, but if this type of identification is used, it is required by law to be registered. Originally, livestock branding only referred to hot branding large stock with a branding iron, though the term now includes alternative techniques. Other forms of livestock identification include freeze branding, inner lip or ear tattoos, earmarking, ear tagging and radio-frequency identification (RFID), which is tagging with

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Today, fencing is more prevalent but branding is still used to identify cattle. A ranch brand is part of the rich history and culture of the cattle ranching way of life. Traditionally, brands are designed with specific numbers or letters to represent the ranch and owner. Most brands in the United States include capital letters or numbers, often combined with other symbols such as a slash, circle, half circle, cross or bar. Brands of this type have a specialized language for "calling" the brand. Some owners prefer to use simple pictures; these brands are called using a short description of the picture (eg., "rising sun"). Reading a brand aloud is referred to as "calling the brand". Brands are called from left to right, top to bottom, and when one character encloses another, from outside to inside. Brands have been passed down for generations to represent a family ranch. Ranchers not only use this to identify their cattle but take pride in the brand as a representation of their ranching heritage.

Erected 2022 by Mark Brandel.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Branding Cattle Ranching Tradition Marker

• Animals • Industry & Commerce.

Location. 27° 14.618′ N, 80° 50.095′ W. Marker is in Okeechobee, Florida, in Okeechobee County. It can be reached from the intersection of SW Park Street and SW 6th Avenue, on the right when traveling east. The marker is located within Cattleman’s Square. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 517 SW Park Street, Okeechobee FL 34972, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Florida.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Florida Cattle Ranchers Committed to Conservation (a few steps from this marker); Rollins Ranch (a few steps from this marker); Historic Role of Seminole Cattle Ranching

Okeechobee County Cattlemen’s Association image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

3. Okeechobee County Cattlemen’s Association

Promoting the Cattle Ranching
Industry of Florida
Established 1937 Okeechobee, FL

(within shouting distance of this marker); Florida Cattle Ranching (within shouting distance of this marker); Prescott Family Ranch LLC (within shouting distance of this marker); Altobello Family (within shouting distance of this marker); History of the Ranch Entry Gate (within shouting distance of this marker); Cutting Horse (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Okeechobee.

Also see . . .
1. Cattleman’s Square. (Submitted on March 23, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Celebrating Cattle Ranching History through Arts. (Submitted on March 23, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
3. Cattle drive ends at Cattleman’s Square Park. (Submitted on March 23, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2025. It was originally submitted on March 23, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 221 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 23, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.