In the late 18^th and 19^th century, select bulls from Durham and York were crossed with these native Lincolnshire cattle and the resultant progeny became known as the Lincoln Red. In 1799, the British Board of Agriculture described the Lincoln Red as “a breed of cattle which is unsurpassed in this country for their disposition at any age to finish rapidly.” This breed was recognized in the first Coates Herd Book in 1822 and the Lincoln Red Association subsequently was formed in 1896.

In 1964 Dr. Shaver imported some of the first Lincoln Red cows to Canada.  The largest of the cows, Driby 325 tipped the scale at a delicate 1925 lbs.  Her son, Camson Pandrama grew to an enormous 2900 lbs. Following are Dr. Shaver’s comments regarding why he decided to import the Lincoln Red. . .

From;  Donald McQ. Shaver, O.C., D.Sc.
 
"My cattle breeding activities were profoundly influenced by experience as a primary international poultry breeder. As a boy of 15 I had won the Canadian Egg Laying contest, which was  open to competitors from around the world. This winning pen of layers was the result of crossing two unrelated strains of layers, and capturing the full economic benefits of heterosis. This discovery was quite by accident. For a few years different crosses were made, but none performed as spectacularly as that first cross. In other words, I
learned that you simply couldn't make any cross and produce a winner.
 
The next step was to set up a test structure capable of assessing multiple crosses, simultaneously. Annually we tested 30 different
crosses, and over time it became clear that a very few strains were exceptional. We found two that regardless of how they were crossed, their progeny would perform significantly above average. When these two lines were crossed, we had the combination that took our name around the world.
 
I reasoned that this same procedure applied to other species, would likely also express thee benefits of heterosis. I searched the world
for cattle breeds that were likely to be unrelated to the main beef stocks in North America, which at the time were Hereford, Angus and Shorthorn. Breeds imported included Charolais, Maine Anjou, Salers, Lincoln, North and South Devon. Many others were identified, but for health reasons were not importable.
 
In the countless breed crosses that were made, the distinctive Lincoln emerged as the breed whose crosses consistently performed above average, in economic terms. The Lincoln was not a flashy breed of cattle, but they were large, adapted to rugged conditions, easy to handle, and possessed a coat of a pleasing red shade. Of importance to me in the 1960"s was that genetically it remained a closed (pure) population, that could be traced back to Nordic invaders, and therefore probably to the Russian steppes. Moreover, the traditional cattle breeders of East Anglia had devoted themselves to preserving the purity and rusticity of the Lincoln Red, while steadily enhancing its growth rate.
 
Today, some of the purest stocks of the Lincoln Red breed are located in North America. Our breeders in Canada and in the USA recognized that they could not for health reasons, rely on the regular importation of breeding animals and semen from overseas sources.
 
In a move highly unusual in beef cattle breeding circles, the members of the North American Lincoln Red Association have banded together to jointly and systematically preserve the genetic integrity of the breed. Obviously, without this disciplined approach, the limited number of foundation animals would quickly degenerate into an inbred collection of dubious merit. Instead, the breed's gene pool value has been enhanced by the creation of several distinct new lines and this process continues.
 
Beef cattle breeders who choose to utilize the Lincoln Red as one of the key lines in their final crossbred carcass animal will have
incorporated unparalleled rusticity, feed economy, growth rate and heterzygosity (exceptional vigor)".