The Cross and Crescent Tejon Ranch brand was recorded in Kern County in 1868. The configuration of the Christian cross and the Muslim crescent is traced back to Old Spain around 997 A.D. A Spanish ranching family brought the brand to Mexico and their descendants carried the brand to the Tejon Ranch.

Ranching is much like it was in the 1880s, with cattle and cowboys roaming the vast ranges.

Records show that Gen. Edward Beale, the founder of Tejon Ranch, returned to the ranch in 1880 after serving as minister to Austria-Hungary , and shifted his focus from sheep to cattle.

Years of drought had severely impacted his sheep operations, which at their peak had grown to an estimated 125,000 sheep.

According to historical accounts, the cattle herds were gradually built up, and one year Jose Lopez, the cattle boss at the time, rounded up 7,000 head and made the tedious drive to market in Los Angeles . At the time, it was the largest herd to make the long drive. In order to negotiate the narrow gorges and rocky canyons, he split the cattle into herds of about 1,000 each. He made the trip without incident.

By 1891, an appraisal made by W. H. Holabird for Tejon Ranch showed the cattle count had risen to 25,000 and sheep had dropped to 7,500. There were 350 mules and horses and 200 miles of fence listed in the report.

Today, cattle operations have been turned over to two livestock tenants. Matt Echeverria, former livestock manager and interim president for Tejon Ranch, runs cattle on a 55,000-acre lease on the northlands portion of the ranch, while Centennial Livestock leases 195,000 acres in ranchlands , southlands and valley lands areas to the south.