The Washington Cattlemen's Association (WCA) was established as the Washington State Cattle and Horse Raiser's Association in 1926 in Okanogan County where the first county cattlemen's association had been organized in 1915. Although an earlier state association was started in Okanogan in 1916, it was unsuccessful. E.F. Banker was elected as the first president in 1926.
The expressed objectives of the Washington Cattlemen's Association are to encourage, promote, and advance the cattle industry through education, dissemination of literature and information, development of leadership, improvement of range and ranch feeding facilities, prevention of disease, detection of theft, identification of brands and marks, paying rewards, sponsoring sales, providing for marketing, arrangement for shows, exhibitions and contests and suitable awards, and to cooperate with all State, County, and Federal agencies and organizations for carrying out these purposes. The Association was incorporated in 1952 with these objectives.
One of the major activities of the WCA has been the selection of the state's Cattleman of the Year, selected from the County Cattleman of the Year. These cattlemen and their ranches are thoroughly inspected and rated for the award each year.
The WCA is a non-profit voluntary membership association of livestock producers with no stockholders. County cattlemen organizations are affiliated and maintain close contact with the state organization. The WCA is a member of the American National Livestock Association.
This collection consists of four accessions of records related to the organization and operation of the Washington Cattlemen's Association, circa 1986-1984.
MS 1979-14: This accession contains papers for the Washington Cattlemen's Association (WCA), from 1975 to 1979. Most of the materials are incoming correspondence about the development and production of research programs, management plans, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations and enforcement, and range conservation. The accession includes letters from other state cattlemen's associations, the national organization, and members of the United States Congress about beef imports and the creation of an agency for consumer advocacy.
MS 1980-09: This accession contains papers for the Washington Cattlemen's Association (WCA), from 1952 to 1979. It consists of papers pertaining to legislation on the Washington State land use code, including: the development ordinance and general development provision, the local land use planning process, the geographical areas and development of statewide significance, state land use planning, regional planning divisions, and judicial review of orders, rules, and ordinances. The accession also contains correspondence with other cattlemen's associations about land use planning and other matters, and letters from state and federal agencies addressing policy changes and enforcement affecting the WCA. Additionally, the collection contains records of WCA conferences and committee meetings, including minutes, programs, and resolutions, as well as memoranda, research material on steer futurity, and news clippings provided by a press clipping bureau.
MS 1981-15: This accession contains papers for the Washington Cattlemen's Association (WCA), from 1976 to 1981. The collection consists of correspondence to and from the Executive Secretary of the WCA, Don Ricketts, including letters from state and federal agencies, as well as other cattlemen associations and the Cowbelles, a related group for cattlewomen. The collection also contains photographs, newspaper clippings, scrapbook pages, and materials pertaining to various counties' cattleman of the year recipients.
MS 1984-65: This accession contains records of the Washington Cattlemen's Association (WCA), from 1936 to 1984. It includes correspondence from 1970 to 1984, as well as meeting programs and minutes for the board of directors, executive committees, and standing committees, from 1947 to 1974. The collection also includes records relating to: building WCA facilities in Ellensburg, conferences, membership, financial records from 1936 to 1977, news releases, Cowbelles records from 1967 to 1974, and the WCA constitution and amendments. Additionally, the collection contains copies of the WCA magazine the "Washington Cattleman" from 1968 to 1981, and their newsletter "The Lariat" from 1947 to 1957, livestock brand books and papers, WCA memorabilia, photographs, and audiovisual media.
This is an unprocessed collection. Any arrangement reflects either a pre-existing order from the records' creators or previous custodians, or preliminary sorting performed by staff.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions may apply.
[Item description]
Preliminary Guide to the Washington Cattlemen's Association Records, circa 1936-1984 (MSSM 029)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Collection donated by Washington Cattlemen's Association to Washington State University Libraries in multiple installments between 1979 and 1984 (MS 1979-14, MS 1980-09, MS 1981-15, MS 1984-65).
Grant County Cattlemen's Association Records, 1959-1974
Washington Cattlemen's Association Records, 1936-1978
Washington CattleWomen's Association Records, 1951-1984
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.