The Rare Breed is a 1966 American Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen and starring James Stewart, Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith in Panavision.

Loosely based on the life of rancher Col. John William Burgess, the film follows Martha Evans's (O'Hara) quest to fulfill her deceased husband's dream of introducing Hereford cattle to the American West.

At auction, Vindicator is the object of a bidding war won by Charles Ellsworth, who has come to purchase stock for his partner, Texas rancher Alexander Bowen.

Hilary does not yet know that Burnett made the deal mostly to ensure that an injured wrangler, double-crossed by Taylor, would receive money to take care of himself and his wife.

Despite his objections, he accepts responsibility for the Evans women on the train ride to Dodge City and the trip down the wagon trail.

Burnett believes that this is a signal from Taylor's men, who find a barbed wire fence that has been cut for the Evanses' wagon to pass.

There, they are introduced to Jamie's father, Alexander Bowen, a retired Scottish military officer turned cattle rancher.

Bowen and Burnett insist that the Evans women should leave for the East before they are snowed in, but they refuse to go until Jamie is well and they have taught the men to properly care for Vindicator.

Train scenes were filmed in the Red Hills area near Jamestown, in Tuolumne County, California, utilizing the famous Sierra Railway 3 locomotive.