The First Angus in America
When George Grant transported four Angus bulls from Scotland to
the middle of the Kansas Prairie in 1873, they were part of the
Scotsman's dream to found a colony of wealthy, stock-raising
Britishers. Grant died five years later, and many of the settlers at
his Victoria, Kansas, colony later returned to their homeland.
However, these four Angus bulls, probably from the herd of George
Brown of Westertown, Fochabers, Scotland, made a lasting impression
on the U.S. cattle industry.
When two of the George Grant bulls were exhibited in the fall of
1873 at the Kansas City (Missouri) Livestock Exposition, some
considered them "freaks" because of their polled (naturally
hornless) heads and solid black color (Shorthorns were then the
dominant breed.) Grant, a forward thinker, crossed the bulls with
native Texas longhorn cows, producing a large number of hornless
black calves that survived well on the winter range. The Angus
crosses wintered better and weighed more the next spring, the first
demonstration of the breed's value in their new homeland.
Early Importers and Breeders
The first great herds of Angus beef cattle in America were built
up by purchasing stock directly from Scotland. Twelve hundred cattle
alone were imported, mostly to the Midwest, in a period of explosive
growth between 1878 and 1883. Over the next quarter of a century
these early owners, in turn, helped start other herds by breeding,
showing, and selling their registered stock.
The American Angus Association
The American Aberdeen-Angus Breeders' Association (name shortened
in 1950s to American Angus Association) was founded in Chicago,
Illinois, on November 21, 1883, with 60 members. The growth of the
Association has paralleled the success of the Angus breed in
America.
In the first century of operation, more than 10 million head were
recorded. The Association records more cattle each year then any
other beef breed association, making it the largest beef breed
registry association in the world.
