Subject Guides & Tutorials: Wyoming Brand Research: Research: Step Three

Check the State Brand Indexes

Once a general timeframe has been established, the next step is to find the initial registration.

What are these?

The Wyoming Livestock Board made notecards about every brand transaction. There are two sets of cards. One is by brand and the other is by the name of the person or corporation that registered the brand.

What information do they contain?

The index cards provide the following information:
Name of the owner
Description of the brand
Date brand was renewed or conversely, date when brand was not renewed
Recording book and page number

Where do I find them?

The Wyoming State Archives has microfilm of brand index cards from 1909 to 1954. The original index cards are with the Wyoming Livestock Board.

How do I use them?

The microfilm is readily available to the public in the Archives’ reference room.

State Brand Card -- Name

Wyoming Livestock & Sanitary Board -- Name Index to Brand Records 1909-1914; A --- Caro

Do you remember the 1916 date? Good, because now that we know D.T. Cosgrove owned the brand in 1916 we can go to the State Brand Cards on microfilm. We need to find the microfilm box with the dates we need, and the right place in the alphabet. Once we have the correct box we can scroll through the index cards on the microfilm reader until, boom, we find D.T. Cosgrove's card. Quick, write down the book and page number the index card gives us, Book 7 pg. 196.

State Brand Card -- Alphabet

Wyoming Livestock and Sanitary Board Brand Index to Unrenewed Brand Records 1909 -1914

State Brand Card -- Symbol

Wyoming Livestock and Sanitary Board Brand Index to Unrenewed Brand Records 1909 -1914