Longhorn History
The Longhorn became the foundation of the American cattle industry by claiming first rights in the untamed, newly discovered Americas over 500 years ago. Christopher Columbus brought Spanish cattle to Santa Domingo and within two hundred years their descendents were grazing the ranges of
In 1690 a herd of 200 Longhorn cattle were driven northward from Mexico to what is now known today as Texas. Those early missionaries and ranchers did not survive the elements of this rugged new land, but the Longhorns did.
By the time of the Civil War, nearly 300 years after setting foot in America, millions of wild Longhorns ranged throughout the southwest. These Longhorns would soon be exchanged for gold. Over the next 25 years 10 million head were trailed north and shipped by rail to the beef-hungry cities in the East. Others were trailed to the gold miners in Canada and some even made it here to the Snoqualmie Valley. Ben Snipes, known as the Northwest Cattle King, drove thousands of head over Snoqualmie Pass in the 1870’s and grazed them here in the upper valley while he arranged buyers in Seattle.
Translating wild cattle into hard cash was an epic struggle between man, beast and the elements—from this grew the romantic legends of the Western Cowboy.
Longhorns, groomed by Mother Nature, carried the ideal characteristics of disease resistance. They were tremendous for long drives as they could go incredible distances without water. Longhorns were also known to rustle their own food, fend for themselves, swim rivers, survive the desert sun and winter snows. The combination of their natural resistance to disease and their lean muscle mass makes them a great choice for producing healthy grass-fed beef.
The demise of the longhorn and the cowboy was the locomotive. Once tracks were stretched from coast to coast there was no longer a need for cattle that could walk thousands of miles. Cattle producers switched over to fatter European breeds and many cowboys had to change their way of life. Local cattleman, Ben Snipes, who was penniless in 1850, was believed to have eventually had more than 100,000 head of cattle and 20,000 horses at his peak in 1890. With the proceeds from his cattle he founded two local banks and purchased 100 acres in downtown Seattle (at 11th and Madison).
