Around 1958 a Reno, NV secretary named Velma Johnston noticed a trail of blood on the roadway and followed it to a nearby mustanger's truck which was packed with captured horses. The blood was from a foal which had been trampled to death in the truck. This gruesome discovery prompted Velma to embark on a ten year crusade for sensible management and protection of wild and free roaming horses and burros. Legislation was first passed in 1959, however the Wild and Free Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971 was the culmination of her efforts. Velma has been affectionately known ever since by wild horse enthusiasts as "Wild Horse Annie." Velma died in 1977, her dream substantially realized.