ORIGIN, HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT
Into the North Sea, on the east coast of England just north of the bulge toward Europe, a river, the Tees, empties. It was along this river that the Shorthorn breed was developed. The earliest knowledge of the forerunners to the breed is word of mouth, that for two hundred years before 1780, there were short horned cattle on the Yorkshire estates of the Dukes and Earls of Northumberland. Shorthorn stock has been in the herds of Smithsons of Stanwick since the middle 1600's.

Several men helped bring the breed to its present high standard of perfection by selecting animals that were best suited to meet the demands of practical farmers.

In Shorthorn history, the name of Bates, Booth and Cruickshank are noted. Bates and Booth were Englishmen who developed what are usually referred to as "English Shorthorns." Cruickshank was a Scotchman who developed the "Scotch Shorthorns." The Bates type of Shorthorns were noted for their style and good milking qualities. Cruickshank's cattle were thicker, blockier and meatier.

Most of the early importations of Shorthorns to America came from English herds and were of the Bates and Booth types; those that came directly from the Bates herd or descendants of that herd had very good milking qualities.

As explained, the Milking Shorthorn is not a separate and distinct breed, but rather a segment of the Shorthorn breed. The pedigrees of both the Milking Shorthorn and the Scotch Shorthorn trace to the same foundation animals if carried to breed origin.

SHORTHORNS ENTER USA IN 1783
An unknown number of both types, the milk breed and the beef breed, were brought from England by a Mr. Gough of Maryland and his partner, a Mr. Miller of Virginia. Importations continued during the early 1800's and the breed moved into New York, Kentucky, Ohio, and deeper into the Midwest. The first herd west of the Mississippi is reported to have been established by N. Cooper on his Ravenswood Farm in Missouri in 1839. Today, Milking Shorthorns are found in almost every area of the United States.

It should be gratifying to anyone interested in Milking Shorthorns to learn how much the breed contributed to the livelihood of our nation. Its hardiness, wide range of adaptation and efficiency of production proved milk, meat and transportation for our pioneers. The breed's many attributes continue to provide a livelihood for the breeders today.