4/13/06, © Katherine Zimmer

I’ve always known that I must have been lived on a ranch in a prior life… whenever I pass a beautiful green hillside under a blue sky with white-picketed borders corralling gorgeous horses and cattle… chickens running amuck and all sorts of smells in the air… I feel safe… hmmmm.

Based on that fantasy (or memory) it’s no wonder the historic Stewart Ranch in Napa has drawn me into an obsessive passion. My prior incarnation must have been in 16th century Scotland or better yet, the Celtic tribes in Britain! The first documented origins of the ‘Belties’ are in the once poetic Galloway district of Scotland. Generally thought to have evolved from an early Celtic breed, these fantastic shaggy-coated animals display a solid black or dark reddish brown coat with a wide white sash across their mid-section… as if they have just proudly won an animal planet beauty contest.

The not-so-definitive, but royally respected source for the rural legend of this Celtic-inspired breed is George Culley’s 1786 treatise, Observations on Livestock. Lord Culley has it that the traffickings of livestock between the Scotland and the Low Countries of the Netherlands in the 17th century provided opportunities for the evolution of what is now called the Belted Galloway and Dutch Belted (Lakenvelder) breeds of cattle.

Wait, the bull doesn’t stop in Holland! Although they were very protective of what they politically claimed as their breed… the Dutch had to acquiesce to the claim of the Swiss and Austrians. Evidently the Dutch nobility moved the ‘canvassed’ or otherwise know as ‘Gurtenvieh’ cattle to Holland… apparently it was the trend of the rich and famous to pillage and abscond with alternative livestock during feudal times to keep up with Lord and Lady Jones. (It is of interest to note that those whacky Netherlander nobles also genetically concocted white-belted rabbits, goats, poultry, and swine.)

As with any legendary animal, there are many versions and claims to creation… another twist puts the noble Scots themselves in the breeding business to visually differentiate their herds or ‘folds’ from the herds of their poorer neighbors… this interpretation gives us a fun play on the hot-phrase personal branding! And just to take it up a notch, the animals with the straightest belts were most prized… now that’s a visual – elitist Scottish upper-classmen in the fields measuring the angles of their cows belts… brilliant!

Although, ninth-century Bohemia would have words for the arrogant international imposters since they also lay claim to originating these magnificent beasts, they were also spotted early on in Mongolia, Tibet, and Siberia… the cattle, not the Bohemians.

Whew! Jump forward now to the first importation of the breed to the United States in 1838 by P.T. Barnum for his circus – billed as “a rare and aristocratic breed.” Barnum figured out that the cows were excellent milkers and being the entrepreneur that he was, he put them on his farm in New York. It was from three early importations like P.T.’s that the breed spread across the country.

I’m disappointed not to have the history of the belted lineage at Napa’s Stewart Ranch to share with you at the time of this writing. I fancy to imagine John Wilbur Stewart importing his herd from his native country to keep his culture alive in the New World. Here’s what I think I know…

In 1892, fourteen year-old John Wilbur Stewart arrived in California from Scotland with 40 cents in his pocket. Making is way by delivering milk in San Francisco and ranching in Ignacio, John moved his wife and three children from Marin to Napa in 1903, at age 25, purchasing the McClure place, which was already 100 years old. Hence the innovative family began the Stewart Ranch with 600 acres and set about the task of settling and surviving. Keep in mind the Napa of this day was predominately untouched and dotted with cattle ranches, with the exception of the first small vineyard planted in 1836 on the homestead of George C. Yount, establishing what is now Yountville.

In the early 1920’s the two Stewart sons, Earl and Wilbur, began retailing milk in the area. They inherited their father’s vision and became the first licensed pilots in the area. The business-minded Earl began bi-weekly flights to Oakland and Petaluma delivering dairy products. Wilbur flew aerial stunts in rodeos and county fairs, but grounded himself in an accident while on the way to Utah, where he met, Bertha, his nurse and soon to be wife.

With their sister, Essie, helping out, the Stewarts expanded the dairy to 180 cows. Although no records discuss the cows, I would imagine they were the belted breeds. It seems cool cows were not noteworthy, especially in light of horrendous earthquakes and flying machines.

John Wilber lived to his late 40’s and sadly was not around to see his sons, daughter and grandchildren flourish and become leaders in the community. The Stewart Brothers Cash and Carry Dairy closed in 1956.

Today the ranch sits quietly on the hillside off of Highway 29. The magical cattle graze under the huge oak trees and lazily watch the millions of tourists pass in and out of the portal to one of the most famous and influential valleys in the world. If I squint hard, I can see an ancient walled city with gates protecting the noblemen and ladies in resplendent costume gathered around conniving to brand their stolen cattle genetically with perfectly straight white sashes to match the fashion of the day.

For those of you still enthralled…
The Belted Galloway is the beef cattle breed and the Dutch Belted is the dairy breed. Other historical accounts put them originating is separate places… Scotland and the Netherlands respectively, and during different centuries. Since know one really knows for sure, I prefer the artistic license to romanticize the information available and keep them together as a breed evolving through patrician folk lore! You know how history goes… it’s all in the interpretation.
_______________________________
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy now lists the Dutch Belted and the Belted Galloway on the critically rare breeds of livestock in the North America, with fewer than 200 registered cattle in the country. The breed in the U.S. is the only source of pure belted genetics in the world since the Lakenvelders in Holland suffered from much crossbreeding from 1950 to 1976.