The Great Goat Gambit: Seattle's First Angora Import
A local merchant imports the territory's first genuine Angora goats from Mexico, betting that their mohair will be worth more than the meat.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Field A. Meyer yesterday received 114 genuine Angora goats over the Short Line from Mexico. These are the first goats of this kind ever received here. They reached here in excellent condition. The skins and hair of a majority of the goats are about right for robes, and it is probable that a number of them will be butchered.
In an era before synthetic fibers or globalized fashion supply chains, Seattle merchants were already acting as early adopters of niche agricultural imports. This small-scale experiment in luxury textiles mirrors today's local food and fiber movements, where entrepreneurs seek direct trade relationships to bring unique, high-value goods into the Pacific Northwest market.
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