by Barbara S. Moore

By 1900, the Balcones Escarpment on the boundary between the Texas Hill Country and the Coastal Plain had established its position as the top producing region of mohair in the United States. Mohair is a soft, silky fiber that comes from Angora goats, which are also raised for their meat. It was and continues to be popular because it has a sheen to it, possesses durability, and takes dye with ease. Historically, mohair was preferred for upholstery in railroad cars and it was also used in drapery, cloaks, knitted garments, and rugs. Prior to the nineteenth century, production methods could result in a stiff-like texture but modern American processes made it soft to the touch and easy to dye, resulting in a late nineteenth-century “craze” for the product. [1] Although Texas goats produced the majority of the nation’s angora wool in the twentieth century, the colorful history of how the goats arrived in Texas and became a major industry here is not widely known. Douglas E. Barnett, a scholar who has published on the history of the Texas mohair industry, puts it well when he declares that though the industry is “less romantic than that of the better-known cattle and sheep industries, an examination of the beginnings of the mohair industry can provide valuable insights into the agricultural development of Texas and into the nature of agricultural innovation.” [2]

Texas was not first American state to raise the goats. As Douglas Barnett explains, South Carolina’s Dr. James B. Davis (1807-1859) first encountered Angoras when President James K. Polk sent him to Turkey for talks about agriculture and trade. Turkish officials allowed Davis to return to the U.S. with nine goats in 1849. [3] Up until 1820, the Ottoman government had prohibited the export of what the Turkish people called “tiftik,” but a boom in European demand in the eighteenth century eventually convinced Turkey to allow its export. By 1846, England alone was importing over a million pounds of mohair a year for its industries. [4]

“Black initially bought goats for his Mexican herders to eat but his entrepreneurial fervor led to him to establish the Range Canning Company which included meat-packing, rendering, and tanning. He originally labeled his canned goat meat as ‘mutton.’ When he had difficulty selling it, he changed the label to ‘W.G. Tobin’s Chili Con Carne’…”

One of the more colorful nineteenth and early twentieth century Angora raisers from Texas was William Leslie Black (1843-1931), who helped to establish the New York Cotton Exchange before settling in Texas in 1884. [5] Scholars of the mohair industry, such as Paul Carlson and Douglas Barnett single him out as a key figure in the history of U.S. and Texas mohair production. Black initially bought goats for his Mexican herders to eat but after learning of more about Angora goats, he bought more and grew a herd that 8,000 strong by 1892. His entrepreneurial fervor led to him to establish the Range Canning Company which included meat-packing, rendering, and tanning. He originally labeled his canned goat meat as “mutton.” When he had difficulty selling it, he changed the label to “W.G. Tobin’s Chili Con Carne,” which was successfully marketed in Europe by a Chicago packer. [5] Black then began to provide stock to others who wanted to raise the goats. As his goat export business grew, neighboring ranchers invested in Angoras as well, and grew their own herds. Black was so passionate about his new line of work that he wrote a how-to book titled A New Industry–or Raising the Angora Goat (1900), which was used as a manual and textbook for the next 40 years. [6] Interestingly, one of the reasons he wrote the manual was because of another important feature of the Angora goat: its reputation for clearing brush and brier from pasture lands. Black wrote “if the Angora goat can be used to keep this brush back it is certainly well worth the attention of many of our landowners, who may, in a few years find their land practically worthless.” [7] For owners of Angoras who only used the goats to clear brush, and had no use for them after this process was complete, Black recommended slaughtering them to use as hog feed or selling them to meatpacking plants.[8] As Barnett writes, Black’s efforts and book led to the expansion of mohair production regionally and nationally. [9]

Besides Black’s passion and business acumen, three factors contributed to the growth of the angora industry in Texas. Many early ranches were located along the Balcones Escarpment and expanded to the Edwards Plateau, areas that had water, protection from the elements and brushy vegetation conducive to goat herding. Another factor was the ability to grow a herd for a minimal investment. Land, either purchased or leased, was inexpensive and many herds were developed by crossing thoroughbred bucks with common does, resulting in grade goats from the fifth or later crosses. Within five years, with a minimal investment of $50-150 for a thoroughbred buck and $1.50 for a common doe, a herd could be created. [10] Goats were also easier to raise than sheep. They could be herded in larger groups, had fewer diseases, and mohair sold for higher prices than wool. Simply put, Angora goats were an ideal animal to raise on land that could not graze cattle.

The nineteenth-century, Texas mohair success story arose from an affordable and hospitable terrain, enthusiastic and entrepreneurial breeders and salesmen, and resilient, adaptable goats that produce a luxurious fiber. The twentieth century saw the further growth and modernization of the industry. As Paul Carlson writes in his excellent TSHA overview of the Texas Angora story, both world wars helped to promote the demand for and production of mohair, and by extension, helped to grow the Texas economy. Although mohair production began to decline after its peak in 1943, the angora goat succeeded in making Texas the preeminent U.S. producer of “natural fiber.”[10]

[1] “The Romping Angora Helped to Clothe Roman Nobles — And He’s Still Useful.” Dry Goods Economist, April 9, 1921, 37.
[2] Douglas Barnett, “Angora Goats in Texas: Agricultural Innovation on the Edwards Plateau, 1858-1900,” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 90, no.4 (1987), 350.
[3] Barnett, “Angora Goats in Texas,” 351.
[4] “The Romping Angora…”, 37.
[5] Paul H. Carlson, Texas Woollybacks: The Range Sheep and Goat Industry. College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 2016, 128.
[6] Also see Paul H. Carlson, “Black, William Leslie (1843-1931)” Handbook of Texas Online, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/black-william-leslie. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
[7] William Leslie Black, A New Industry–or Raising the Angora Goat. Fort Worth, Texas, 1900, 15.
[8] Black, 22.
[9] Barnett, “Angora Goats in Texas,” 362.
[10]Barnett, 35.
[11] Paul H. Carlson, “Wool and Mohair Industry,” Handbook of Texas Online.

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