The history of Limousin cattle may be as old as the European continent itself. Cattle found in cave drawings estimated to be 20,000 years old in the Lascaux Cave near Montignac, France, have a striking resemblance to today's Limousin. These golden-red cattle are native to the south central part of France in the regions of Limousin and Marche.

During these early times of animal power, Limousin gained a reputation as work animals, in addition to their beef qualities. Rene Lafarge reported in 1698, "Limousin oxen were universally renowned and esteemed both as beasts of burden and beef cattle."

The cows calved year round, outdoors, to bring in a regular source of income, and the heifers were bred to calve at 3 years of age. In the winter, the entire herd was outside, and whatever the season, the cattle were handled on a daily basis.

A leader in the natural selection movement was Charles de Leobary and his herdsman, Royer. Through a very tough process, these two developed an outstanding herd of purebred Limousin. From 1854 to 1896 the de Leobary herd won a total of 265 ribbons at the prestigious Bordeaux Competition, one of France's finest cattle shows.

The first Limousin imported to Canada was Prince Pompadour, a son of Baron, bred at the highly-respected Pompadour Estate of France. Through the efforts of Adrien de Moustier of France and others, the bull arrived in November 1968. An impressive bull, Prince Pompadour had been selected by noted French breeder Emil Chastanet as a herd bull for his operation. After his arrival, Prince Pompadour was brought to the United States to be part of Limousin exhibitions and draw attention to the breed.

The first Limousin bulls imported permanently into the United States did not arrive until the fall of 1971. Until this time, the Canadian government had not permitted any Limousin bulls to leave the country except for short periods for exhibition purposes, and then only if the owners posted a large bond that was refunded when the animal returned to Canada.
The first U.S. import, Kansas Colonel, was born and raised in Canada and was imported by Bob Haag of Topeka, Kans., for a group of Kansas Limousin breeders.

The first Limousin semen was available from Prince Pompadour in July 1969.

As the first Limousin cattle arrived in North America, cattlemen interested in the breed realized the need for an organization to promote and develop the breed in the United States and Canada. At one of these meetings, in the spring of 1968 at the Albany Hotel in Denver, 15 cattlemen formed the North American Limousin Foundation. From the initial concentrations in Oklahoma, Texas, South Dakota and western Canada, the Limousin breed has expanded across North America.
http://www.nalf.org/