Postcard from the Past: Donate to the Red Cross

Lander Valley Stock Association decides to help Red Cross

Each member asked to donate one heifer calf for the Red Cross Society Herd

At the meeting of the Lander Valley Stock Association held in Lander on Tuesday afternoon to consider the matter of soliciting the donations of heifer calves to the Red Cross, County Chairman A.R. Kirkland briefly explained methods which have been successfully employed and made a number of suggestions for the benefit of the local association.

It was unanimously decided to ask each member of the Lander Valley Stock Association and each stockman residing in this section to make such a donation, regardless of his membership in any association. 

In order to enable the cattlemen of the states of Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Utah to assist in the support of the American Red Cross, the Mountain Division of the American Red Cross with headquarters in Denver has recorded the cattle brand ARC to be placed on the left side of the animal in Colorado. 

All Red Cross chapters in the Mountain Division are authorized to accept heifer calves as contributions from cattlemen to the Red Cross, and these calves must be branded ARC and be cared for by the donor until next January when they will be delivered to various chapters and shipped to the National Western Stock Show in Denver. 

At the stock show, they will be entered in competition for prizes to go to the counties where they were produced and the cattle sold and returns delivered to the Red Cross chapters to which the calves were donated.

It is expected the ARC brand of cattle will become well known. The cow herd without one or more ARC cattle will not be a strictly patriotic herd. 

The ARC brand will be to the cattlemen what the Red Cross flag or other patriotic emblem is to people generally. It is expected during the period of the war, a large percentage of the calves from these ARC heifers will themselves carry the ARC brand and continue to add their mite to the mercy fund of the U.S. to relieve the suffering on this great war.

After the awarding of premiums at the stock show, the calves will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder, each lot to be sold separately for the credit of the Red Cross chapter from which they were donated, the sale to be supervised by officials of the Mountain Division of the American Red Cross.

The ARC brand will also be recorded where possible in Wyoming, New Mexico and Utah, and this brand will continue the property of the American Red Cross during the period of the war. 

Purchasers of these ARC cattle will have the privilege of rebranding the same or of continuing the brand for the benefit of the Red Cross chapter wherever such cattle may be located.

This article appeared in the Sept. 20, 1918 issue of the Wyoming State Journal in Lander.