What Became of the Truth?

A few years ago a woman who knew Bill Lamont mostly by reputation, remarked that he is so honest he wouldn’t see when another person was dishonest.

There are breeders of Speckle Park Cattle who seem to prefer to create romantic, impossible versions about the breed’s origin. New breeders can’t be blamed for parroting what they are told; old breeders should know better.

Some years ago a man who knew little about the breed and less about the truth, made up stories which he foisted onto television, radio, and newspapers. Instead of questioning his stories, many helped spread them; these were nothing but fables.

Fable no. 1: “The Barr Colonists brought the Speckle Park to Canada”

That would be 1903 when the Barr Colonists from England settled in the North West Territories. Many of them and their descendents became good farmers and ranchers but no one asked any of their descendents if their great Grandfathers tucked some Speckle Park somewhere in S.S Lake Manitoba back in 1903.

The fact is, not only did they bring no cattle, they certainly could not have brought Speckle Park, not then, not now.

Mary Lindsay's original red-speckled cow was bought from the Formo family of the Tangleflags district, north of Lloydminster. Not only were the Formo not Barr Colonists, they didn’t even come from England. They were from Norway.

Fable no 2 : “ The cattle are descended from the Wild White Cattle of Chillingham (in England.)”

That does sound romantic! Right out of the mists of time! The Wild White Cattle of Chillingham Park are lyre-horned, with red points. They are small and narrow and not very fond of human company. They have been “enclosed” for over three hundred years. One blurb said that Speckle Park must “look like the original Chillingham Park (cattle.)” That would, if true, be rather unfortunate, to say the least.

Fable no. 3:

In 1993 it was stated by that inventive person that “the breed has been in the province for almost 100 years.” That would have put them in the picture between, say, 1883 and 1900, and that would have been quite remarkable and quite incredible.

Fable no. 4: “ The cows weigh 1,200 pounds.”

Most are closer to 1,400 pounds. And “They grow to about 600 pounds as yearlings.” Actually they should dress more than that, as long yearlings.

Then there’s the fellow who even invented a breed, the English White, as ancestors for his Speckle Park cattle. The English White? Wasn’t that a breed of pigs? Oh, no, lets do some research; that’s the Chester White pig. Research: that’s the answer.

Fable no 5: “The Lamonts……….. passed through the Lloydminster area and noticed a herd of Speckle Park cattle belonging to Mary Lindsay”

Nonsense! Mary had different kinds of livestock and among them were those speckled cattle she called Lineback, from which came the females that Bill Lamont used with his black Angus Bulls.

The Lamonts and Lindsays were of the larger Lloydminster area and Bill already knew the Lindsays through Angus cattle. The Lamonts and Lindsays are of Scottish descent and many a good stockman (and woman) is of Scottish descent.

It didn’t seem to occur to any journalist to go to the source, with the result that all fables mentioned are quoted from reputable newspapers and magazines. Then along came a young woman. Tana Christie, from near Kitscoty, Alberta, to be the agricultural reporter for Lloydminster television.

In late 2005 she felt she would like to get the facts about Speckle Park cattle and she went to the source, to the true roots, and made a short documentary for television about the breed of cattle which originated in her general area.

Any supposed blood from the mists of time will be long gone in Speckle Park cattle, so realism should take over and one might as well say: the breed originated from Bill Lamont’s good Black Angus bulls of the 1960’s and Mary Lindsays Speckled Lineback cattle, which still are bred on farms of her nephews.

A trend toward breeding Speckle Park not to Speckle Park but to the Black Angus of today and still calling the offspring Speckle Park is simply over-dilution of Speckle Park genetics. The Black Angus, an admirable beef breed, was fairly recently greatly changed in the search for height and are not what Bill Lamont would have chosen.

It was he who developed the animal and to correctly quote Eileen Lamont: “Why did people buy Speckle Park because they liked what they saw- and then try to change them!?"

Not only that, they tried to re-write the history!

To quote the researcher, Valerie Porter: "There is a great deal more to cattle than profit."

There is. There are fables - which go on and on and on, and then there is the truth.

The truth should be printed in bold, black letters. Bold black letters that contain the names “Lindsay” and “Lamont”, two Scottish families who unknowingly collaborated to create a fine breed of cattle, Saskatchewan's own breed, Speckle Park.

And while we are drinking a toast to Scotland, let us not forget Norway! And come to think about it, let us drink one to England, too.

And remember one journalist, who went to the source!