"The Devil has horns, but cattle don't need 'em!" Rancher legend, Bill Spidel, once the owner of the largest herd of Polled Hereford Cattle in the world, was well-known for saying. And, for those of you who don't know, 'polled' means 'without horns'!
The beginnings of the largest polled Hereford herd
Bill Spidel of Montana acquired the Grand Champion Polled Hereford bull at the National Livestock Show in Des Moines, Iowa.
This was the foundation for the largest herd of Polled Hereford cattle in the United States. The Spidel Ranch in Montana came into the family's possession in 1903 when his grandfather and A.B. LaMott formed a partnerhsip and purchased 1500 head of cattle.
In 1912, LaMott died and Grandpa Bill bought out his interest. In the years that followed, Bill purchased abandoned homesteads from settlers who were having much difficulty in surviving on the land.
Grandpa Bill married Hazel Roberts in 1917 and in 1920, her parents purchased Mrs. LaMott's remaining interest in the ranch building the ranch up to 36,000 acres. The ranch is now known as Runamuk Guest Ranch.
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