Explain how branding and the open-range system of cattle ranching represented an innovative use of resources and a creative response to the geography of the west.

Cows could roam freely without having tight spaces and fences to bother them. Since they were branded, there was no fear that someone could steal them and resell them because it would be easy to recognize the brand of the owner. Since the west was basically a giant field without people, completely empty, cows could do whatever they wanted.