History of the Speckle Park
The 'First' an 'Only' beef breed developed in the province of Saskatchewan!
In 1959, Bill and Eileen Lamont, of Maidstone, SK bought their first speckled heifer from Mary Lindsay, they didin't realise the "wheels they had set in motion". The Lamonts were breders of Aberdeen Angus cattle an Appaloosa horses at the time and simply thought speckled cattle would go well with their speckled horses.
Mary Lindsay of Greenstreet, SK had always like unusual colors in livestock. In 1937, while helping her father drive some cattle home, a red roan speckled heifer caught her eye. The uniquic color pattern must have impresed her because she purchased the heifer from her father. Regardless of the herd sire used, the offspring from that heifer always carried the unique speckled color pattern. It is now believed that the heifer was probably a desendant of a Teeswater Shorthorn carrying the White Park gene.
The Lamonts crossed their speckled cows with their purebred Black Angus bulls. The resultsing calves came in a variety of color patterns. Some were soilid black; some were white with black points, ie. eyes, ears, nose, feet; some were a leopard pattern; and some had a white topline and underline with black sides and speckled hips and black or black roan faces. Today, the animals of the later three color patterns, except the white males, are accepted into Canadian Speckle Park Association's herd book.
In time, a few enterprising breeder became intrested in these unusual cattle and small herds were started. The Lamonts could have quit but these cattle, with the Appaloosa look, had them hooked. They were determined to make them a breed! After much deliberation, the Lamonts chose a name for the breed - 'Speckle Park'. In 1985, Speckle Park breeders, representing nine herds, joined to form the Canadian Speckle Park Association. The aim was to breed these cattle up to purebred status and to develop a middle of the road, meduim sized, polled good beef animal. Thus was born the phrase often attached to the breed - ' A Balanced Beef Breed with Color Bonus".
On June 4, 1993, Agriculture Canada approved the incoporation of the Canadian Speckled Park Association in respect of the 'evolving' breed of Speckle Park cattle. On Feb. 14, 1995, the Association's first set of by-laws was granted ministerial approval.
The aim of the Association is to become incoprporated with Agiculture Canada as a 'distinct' breed. The number of animals required to appy for 'distinct' breed status has now been acheived and the association is now working diligently at collecting the data required by Agiculture Canada. It is hoped that with in a year Speckled Park will be recognized as a 'distinct' breed.
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