Branding replaced herding entirely on the open Colorado range.

Evidence

The cattle run at large upon the prairies; each animal being branded, they need no herding, and are usually only mustered, counted, and the increase branded in the summer. — Isabella L. Bird, A Lady’s Life in the Rocky Mountains, 166

Categorization

• FICTION: The branding-and-mustering rhythm of open-range life is ready-made texture for a Western narrative.