In the last quarter of the 19th century, the British were beef hungry. And they had the wherewithal to afford American beef. It was the British who helped turn cattle ranching into a major enterprise in the West.
An aspiring British rancher only needed to establish a homestead on which to start his ranch. Cattle were available to purchase for as little as eight dollars a head. Thanks to the generosity of the American government, ranchers were free to use thousands of acres of public lands for grazing. It was not uncommon for ranchers to realize a 400 percent profit on their original investment. The invention of the refrigerated rail car and refrigeration in cargo ships meant that American beef could be shipped to markets in Britain.
Many of the founders and directors of British-American cattle companies were British lords, dukes and knights. Among the dozens of cattle companies incorporated in Great Britain was the Swan Land and Cattle Company, based in Wyoming.
Learn more in the Herbert Oliver Brayer Papers at UW’s American Heritage Center