Brand History Information

In 2002, the Montana Department of Livestock received a donation from Montana author Ivan Doig and his wife Carol. With this donation, the Department of Livestock and Montana Historical Society joined efforts to have historical brands placed on microfilm.

Ivan Doig said, "Brands are the classical language of the American West."

In Montana, when researching genealogy, brands owned in past generations is a great part of that heritage.

Montana brands from 1873 through 1980 are now available on online as part of the Montana History Portal.

Since 1911, brands have been rerecorded every ten years. The next rerecord year is 2031.

For all questions regarding the history of brands (1873-1980), please call 1-406-444-2681 or email the Montana Historical Society archives at mhslibrary@mt.gov

Happy Researching!