Established 1852
Established 1852
Taana Rosewood 4th, mated with
Dreadnaught Salute and produced
Leveldale Rosewood who also went on to campaign 3 seasons without one defeat in her class. Her career would net 29 firsts, 7 juniors, 4 seniors, and 14 grands.
Taana Rosewood 4th also produced Sheik of Leveldale, another top winning calf for Leveldale Farms. L.E. also acquired
Goldspur’s Baraonet 2nd, Leveldale’s first sire from outside of L.E.’s breeding.
View the Best 10 Head from the 1934, 36 and 38 American Royal
View Leveldale Rosewood, model type.
View Sheik of Leveldale and Leveldale Rosewood 5th
This was the year of the first Leveldale auction sale. Offering up 48 head of choice bulls and heifers, L.E. drew over 1000 buyers from far and wide to stand in the mud and rain to purchase some of the famous Leveldale blood. The sale disposed of a significant portion of the herd, but its success was a tribute to the respect that the Leveldale name had earned.
Again demonstrating the Mathers eye, L.E. purchased Gainford Marshall from another breeder who was keeping him in breeding conditions. The owner didn’t think Gainford was worth showing, so L.E. promised to pay the owner $100 when Gainford won his first grand. Gainford went on to campaign the entire circuit, ending the year as undefeated grand champion bull, and L.E. was happily out his $100.
Dreadnaught Lustrous, son of Goldspur’s Baronet, and Ruby 47th began his illustrious show career by topping the 2 and 3 year old bulls practically everywhere.
Sheik of Leveldale was proclaimed outstanding bull of the year, and was a grand champion everywhere.
Leveldale continued in the 1940s winning show after show with Leveldale Foray, son of Leveldale Commondor, and Goldspur’s Baronet 2nd as well as Sheiks Jubilee, offspring of Dreadnaught Jubilee and Calara Augusta 3rd,
View one of the 1939 and 40 champions, Leveldale Manifest
View Best 10 Head from the 1941 American Royal
View some winners from the 1942 Ft. Worth show
View a picture of Divide Patience 51st and Leveldale Foray
Gene bought into Leveldale, and would eventually become a 50% partner.
Headquarters For Herd Bulls In the years after the war, L.E. & Gene continued to show the herd extensively, and coined the phrase, “You invest your money for good shorthorns, you spend it for poor ones”, as well as naming Leveldale, “Headquarters for Herd Bulls”. It was at this point that a classic problem of all great livestock breeders was encountered, where to go for outcross breeding. L.E. decided to turn to Scotland, and over the coming years Gene & L.E. would make no less that 17 trips to Scotland. When Gene was still in the army in Europe he met L.E. Sr. in Perth. It was then that they first bought Shorthorns from Scotland. Les or Gene went to Perth every year until the mid 60’s, and showed at all the major shows until the late 60’s. L.E. estimated that 150 bulls and 300 females were brought over to Leveldale. This marked an era when many champions would be sired by imported bloodlines, such as the 1952 International Reserve Grand Champion Leveldale Custodian. Glassingall Research, imported in dam, would sire over $100,000 worth of cattle at Leveldale. Aldie Mainliner, mated to Pittodrie Laura Blossom, would result in the birth of Leveldale Basis,who would go on to be considered the most influential shorthorn bull of his time.
View the pedigree of Leveldale Basis
Leveldale Basis was mated with Crocus Cow, and resulted in Leveldale Critic who was Grand Champion at numerous 1955 shows. Sons and daughters of Critic won many shows in the late 50s. In 1951 Leveldale’s scorecard for 12 shows was 119 firsts, 51 seconds, 12 grands, and 10 reserves.
The 1950’s was one of the most preeminent decades for Leveldale. Leveldale bred, raised, and exhibited champions at all the major shows in the United States. Gene and L.E. spent months of every year traveling coast to coast in a modified box car. Many outstanding cattlemen cut their teeth riding the rails with Leveldale. The annual production sales of the 1950’s set records for the highest selling bull, as well as the highest sale averages in the cattle industry
View Leveldale’s 1950 show record
View Leveldale’s 1951 show record
View Leveldale’s 1952 show record
View Leveldale’s 1953 show record
Their success was no accident. L.E. “Gene” Mathers Jr. had returned home after WWII and purchased half interest in the cattle herd and acquired additional farm land. His knowledge of cattle and his marketing skills complimented the program, making it all that much more difficult for the competition to keep up with the Leveldale team.
Another son of Leveldale Basis, Leveldale Princeps dominated the show ring and was an international champion in 1959. Throughout the early and mid 1960s Leveldale stock dominated the show ring coast to coast. Bulls like Leveldale Bloodbank, Leveldale Richard, and Leveldale Peerless became household names to Shorthorn Breeders.
Gene judged many shows and had a great eye for cattle. He was the driving force behind promoting and advertising Shorthorn cattle. He was also a director of the Shorthorn Association, and was President in 1960 and 1961.
