Hereford History

The beautiful Herefords we know today descend from hard-working, draft animals native to the Herefordshire vicinity of England.  While no one is exactly sure where all the pieces of the original puzzle come together, it is generally agreed that the breed as a whole owes its existence to the foresight, determination and perseverance of two men by the name of Benjamin Tomkins, Sr. and Jr.  Benjamin Tomkins the elder, the fourth of six sons, inherited at the age of nine a "cow called Silver" upon his father's death in 1723.  There is referenced, some years later, a "Silver Bull" that appears frequently in the pedigrees of Tomkins' early herd.  This bull was described as being ". . . a red bull, with a white face, and a little white on his back."  It is assumed that the "Silver Bull" descends from Tomkins' inherited "cow called Silver".  This "Silver Bull" was used with two cows, namely, Pigeon (a grey cow) and Mottle (a dark red with a spotted face), that Benjamin Tomkins acquired from his father-in-law because he was impressed by their easy keeping abilities.  These three matrons created the first cow families of the Hereford breed: the Silvers, the Pigeons, and the Mottles, the first two families figuring prominently in early importations to America.  Benjamin Tomkins the elder continued his program from 1742 until 1789, when his son, Benjamin Tomkins the younger took over his father's work and continued until 1815.  The Tomkins herd was maintained until 1854, when the herd was dispersed.

In 1816, an enthusiastically avid promoter of the early Herefords by the name of John Price issued an open challenge: $500 to the winner of a show pitting 20 of his Hereford cows against 20 English Longhorns.  A Mr. Meek accepted the challenge, and was defeated by the Hereford cattle.  Again, Price issued a challenge, this time to any breeder of Shorthorn cattle, showing one bull against one of his Hereford bulls.  Again, Price was triumphant.  Price issued yet one more challenge:  20 cows of any breed then available against 20 of his Hereford cows.  His challenge was not accepted.

The first Herefords to arrive in America were a cow, a heifer, and a young bull, imported by Henry Clay of Kentucky in 1817.  It is unknown just where in England Clay made this first Hereford purchase, but shortly after their arrival in the New World they were mixed with the more popular Shorthorn cattle of the time for fear of inbreeding.  Eventually, their blood was diluted but not before they made a positive impression on Clay, who later wrote: "My opinion is that the Herefords make better work cattle, are hardier, and will, upon being fattened, take themselves to market better than their rivals.  They are also fair milkers. . . If one has rich, long and luxuriant grass, he had better breed the Durhams (Shorthorns), otherwise, the Herefords."

Calved in 1836, a bull of massive size by the name of Cotmore, is said to have weighed 3,920 lbs at 9 years of age.  He was regarded as the greatest bull as yet produced, and is an ancestor of all five bulls that would form the foundation of the American Hereford: Sir Richard 2nd, The Grove 3rd, Lord Wilton, Garfield, and most known of all, Anxiety 4th. 

The first breeding herd of Herefords in America was that of William H. Sotham, from a group of 22 head imported in 1840.  Sotham was an Englishman, only having arrived in the US eight years previously.  He was familiar with the Herefordshire cattle before coming to America, was less than impressed by the quality of the native cattle he found upon his arrival, and chose to return to England to rectify the situation.

The winner of England's Royal Show in 1868 was Sir Hungerford, a 3 year old bull.  Sir Hungerford's primary claim to fame is his photo - apparently the first ever taken of a Hereford.  A change in overall conformation and size (frequently referred to as "type") was underway during this time. The type of Hereford now preferred was somewhat smaller as evidenced by the photo of Sir Hungerford when compared to the drawing of Cotmore (Sir Hungerford does not weigh almost 4,000 lbs!).

It is logical, as the bulk of Hereford importations to America were between 1848 and 1886, to assume that they were of Sir Hungerford's general type and caliber.  In fact, 3,836 head of Herefords were imported during that time period, proving their rapid rise to popularity.  A noted Shorthorn advocate, by the name of Major Wilbur "Shorthorn" Campbell, was converted to the Hereford ranks in 1881 after purchasing 26 Shorthorn bulls and 25 Hereford bulls for use on his ranch near Caldwell, Kansas.  The experience he relates as follows: "When the heat of summer came, the Shorthorns could be seen standing along the streams or in the shade while the Herefords were busy grazing.  Then, both were allowed to remain on the open range the entire winter without supplemental feed or shelter of any kind, and compelled to rustle for a living or die.  The winter proved to be one of unusual severity and before Spring came almost 50 percent of my beloved Shorthorns had died, and the remainder were but reeling skeletons.  With the Herefords the test was perfectly satisfactory as every one of the 25 showed up in good shape."

Gudgell & Simpson are most known for their importation of the famous bull, Anxiety 4th, in 1882.  Between the years 1880 and 1882, Gudgell & Simpson imported 263 Herefords, second only to C.W. Cook & Son, who imported a total of 330 head of Herefords.  Not as well known, however, is the fact that Gudgell & Simpson imported nearly as many Aberdeen Angus during the same period, and attained an equally high status in the Angus circles as they did with their Herefords.  They maintained both herds for six years, then they chose to concentrate solely on the Hereford cattle.

A bull by the name of Polson made his mark in Texas in the 1890's.  He was one beautiful bull, judging by his picture.  Apparently, early Texas breeders had extreme difficulties bringing the Hereford cattle to this state because of a tick-borne disease they called Texas fever.  However, those breeders persevered, and the Herefords eventually thrived in yet another environment. An interesting tale of the Hereford conquest of the western ranges is that of Captain J.B. Gillett of Marfa, Texas.  In November, 1897, he purchased 35 bulls, 14 of which were Hereford, from a breeder in Missouri. He turned all the bulls out on the range the following summer.  The first cold spell in December, he found all the other bulls bunched at the gate.  In his words, "From appearances, they had walked the road from one gate to the other, about nine miles apart, two or three times, evidently hunting a hay stack.  Not one of the Herefords was in the bunch."   There are other tales just as interesting, showing just how well the Herefords could adapt and survive.  One is from D. J. Bernard of Belle Fourche, South Dakota. "Three bulls were turned loose on the range, a Hereford, a Shorthorn and an Aberdeen-Angus.  The next Spring on the roundup we found the Hereford and the Angus; branded 75 white-faced calves, three blacks and 40 Shorthorns; the Shorthorn bull was dead, the Angus in fair condition and the Hereford fat enough for beef."

Here is a picture of Prime Lad and Lorna Doone, Champion Hereford Bull and Female, at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904.  A significant type change was again underway, aiming once more for smaller cattle.  The Grand Champions of the International Live Stock Exposition in Chicago from 1900 to 1909 averaged 1,551 lbs. The average weight of champions during the next decade were 200 lbs lighter.  The champions of the 1920's were yet another 200 lbs lighter, and the champions during the 40's and 50's weighed about 1000 lbs. The "TO" Ranch's Grand Champion steer at Denver in 1945 demonstrates this vast change of type.  He weighed 965 lbs and is shown in the photo below. 

The 1950's and 1960's saw cattle smaller and thicker than ever before.  But disaster struck.  Dwarf genetics within the Hereford breed brought catastrophic results, and many a herd was labeled  "dirty," thereby forcing the breeder to sell his prize cattle to market for beef prices, whether or not the animal was a known carrier.  At that time, genetic science was not advanced enough to label exact genes as it is today, and because of that, many cattlemen suffered.  Dwarfism affected not only the Herefords, but also the Angus and other pure breeds of the time. 

A common misconception is that a small cow is a carrier of the dwarf gene.  That belief is one of the causes that led to the reverse swing in type change, which began in 1969. Both that misconception and the type swing continue today.  For 50 years, cattlemen bred their cattle smaller and chunkier, and the 50 years following they immediately bred back up to the size of 100 years ago.  Why did the cattlemen want smaller cattle?  They believed them to be hardier, and the dressing percentage of the steers proved to be greater than that of their taller counterparts. 

The other reason Hereford breeders suddenly began breeding larger animals again, is the demands of the commercialized meat packing industry.  To put it simply, it's one hide and four hooves for them, the more meat they get the better.  Quality was no longer stressed, there was now a middleman between the producer and consumer.  Cattlemen were now penalized for small frame cattle, regardless of how much beef was on that frame, or the quality of the beef.

Note the difference between these two bulls, nearly 100 years apart on the time line. These bulls are probably within a few inches of height to each other, and their body length is comparable.  Other than that, Polson has the straighter topline, far deeper heart girth and better hindquarter structure and muscle.  The other bull has the advantage of being in his prime, and of being posed, yet has much more leg length than heart girth area, less hip, and lighter muscling.  Polson being Champion of the Texas State Fair, and the other bull a Grand Champion of the National Polled Hereford show, one can deduce how these bulls rate against the rest of their breed in their respective times and types.