A Brief History

The Angora goat originated in the district of Angora in Asia Minor. The Angora dates back prior to early biblical history. Mention is made of the use of mohair at the time of Moses, which would fix the record of the Angora some time between 1571 and 1451 B.C. In order to increase the supply of mohair available for export to the European countries, the Turks crossed the Angora goat with common stock to increase the poundage of salable hair. Probably there was no effort to keep the original Angora separate, and the general increase in size and vigor of the goats in the Angora area was, no doubt, partially the result of this infusion of other blood.

A pair of Angoras was imported to Europe by Charles V about 1554. In 1765 an importation was made by the Spanish government and twenty years later a considerable number were imported into France. None of these importations were successful in establishing mohair production. On the other hand, Angoras were taken to South Africa in 1838 and there they flourished.

It is generally believed that the first importation of Angora goats into the United States occurred in 1849. The goats originated in Turkey and were brought here by a Dr. J. B. Davis of Columbia, South Carolina. Dr. Davis had been rewarded with nine head of Angoras as a gift from the Sultan of Turkey for his work as a cotton and agricultural consultant in Turkey. The breed spread quickly and became especially popular in the arid west. 

By about 1880 the government of Turkey banned the export of further Angoras, but the breed had already gained a foothold in both the United States and the Republic of South Africa. By 1900 it was estimated that nearly 900,000 head of Angoras were in the United States with about 250,000 of those in Texas.