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INDIAN WARS US ARMY HORSE AND MULE BRANDING IRON –
FOUND AT THE FORT BOWIE, ARIZONA TERRITORY SITE IN THE
1940’S: One of the more identifiable Indian War
cavalry images is that of a trooper’s mount bearing the
large “US” brand on the left shoulder, and yet honest,
verifiable examples of the branding irons that were used
to mark the government animals are few and far between.
Quite frankly, the majority of the “US” brands seen in
the last twenty years or so on the collector market have
been recently made fantasy pieces with no provenance and
no credibility. While the army initiated a regulated
effort to brand its horses in 1853, and continued to do
so through the end of the horse cavalry, genuine
branding irons used by the army do not appear to have
survived in any substantial numbers.
This branding iron was recovered in the late 1940’s from
Fort Bowie by a well known Arizona couple of that time
who used to roam the old military, mining towns and
historic sites in Arizona and collect the interesting
pieces they found, long before these sites were placed
under the protection of the various government
entities. A letter documenting the source of this
branding iron has been written by the most recent owner
who in turn purchased the iron from the man who found
it, and the letter accompanies the purchase.
Ft. Bowie, one of the most historic and well known
frontier posts of the southwest, was established near
Apache Pass in what is now southeastern Arizona, in
1862. During its 32 years of occupation, ending in
1894, Ft. Bowie was a pivotal location during the long
and bitter Apache Wars, and much of the history of that
era was written by the people – both white and Apache –
who crossed that ground. The fort lay abandoned for
over 60 years until it was designated a National
Historic Landmark in 1960, and was added to the National
Registry of Historic Places in 1972.
This branding iron shows evidence of considerable use,
and although exposed to the elements for some fifty
years, it has survived in full form. Measuring 8 ½”
long with 3” high letters, the brand was hand forged of
iron bar stock. The letters retain their full form with
some minor edge loss to corrosion, and with some
misshaping, probably from being disposed of in a burn
pit – a common method of destroying equipment to prevent
its use by others. Though pitted overall, the iron is
solid with no weak spots.
In spite of the obvious aging, this “US” army branding
iron is a very special and historic relic - and because
of the obvious age and provenance, I have no doubt it is
the “real McCoy”, unquestionably used to mark the horses
acquired by the government at Fort Bowie. SOLD
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