John Payne was an American cattle rancher and his collection includes 25 items mainly pertaining to his ranching operations in Socorro, NM. The letters, receipts, and legal papers document the buying and selling of cattle and, to a lesser extent, horses. The additional materials are brand certificates from 1901 and 1917, two personal postcards, and a letter by Charles M. Crossman requesting admittance into an Odd Fellows Lodge.